


The Human Effect

by Andreinightleaf



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Crossover characters - Freeform, Crossover elements, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of Robot Gore, Nudity, OT3, Omorashi, Watersports, bladder desperation, sexual mentions, will add tags as i add chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:08:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 66,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andreinightleaf/pseuds/Andreinightleaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sigma was defeated, or, at least, it was believed so. But a new threat was rising with the discovery of magic by the human population; Heidi, a mysterious organization that preached human supremacy, was growing stronger and stronger with magic. And with a spell that quickly deactivates Reploids, what could the Maverick Hunters do to stop them? Maybe the world would never be the same after all this-- and nor would three certain Hunters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Heidi Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Maverick Hunters talk about what Heidi is and what they could do to try and stop its schemes.

   In this world, there exists two major forms of intelligent beings: humans, and Reploids.

   Reploids is the name given to a fairly recent human invention in history; robots who have the miraculous ability to think, feel, make decisions of their own, and develop their own personalities. A feat once deemed impossible, unthinkable (how could humans replicate this great development of nature?), was now commonplace in Earth. At first they were developed to see if such a thing was even possible, and then, they became company for the humans as well as made to handle tougher work, lifting weight, cutting wood, mining. Reploid guards and policemen started being employed. They could do housework and take care of children. Go to dangerous areas for research and to save lives where it would be fatal to humans but bearable to them. Reploids even started becoming scientists themselves, creating their own Reploids, developing medicine, leisure, technology. The current world is now unthinkable to live in without Reploids and their helpful hands, especially as humans started dwindling as a species—6 billion people in Earth would be laughable to kids at school, because now there were much fewer. Most people did not think about having a lot of children, because of how highly advanced medicine had become, and though it might once have been a problem at the start of the millennia that the ones being born would not be enough working hands to carry a nation on their backs, now, with Reploids, this would no longer be a problem, because they did not age and stopped working because of it, and they could be created relatively quickly if the world so demanded it.

   However, replication of nature is not perfect, as it would be expected. And it was not a problem of malfunctioning, or simple rebel feelings as teenagers would have with their parents. No, some Reploids would become corrupted, for a reason or another, and inherently seek death and destruction, sometimes losing their minds and sense of self completely. Others would retain intelligence, but with thoughts becoming twisted and evil-driven. And even others would seem as if they had not changed, yet possessed a strong desire to fight the humans and rebel against humanity. This insanity went as far as some scientists willingly creating robots who would act like this from the start, to aid them in their malevolent plans of conquest and war. These robots would be labeled ‘Mavericks’.

   The rise in the number of Mavericks, as well as their creation, left the good-willed scientists with no choice but to create their own fighting Reploids, but theirs would be benevolent despite their combat capabilities, meant to destroy the Mavericks and bring peace to the world.

   This was not the primary reason the Reploid “X” was created, but he was nonetheless equipped with combative abilities in case something like this could happen. Presumably the first Reploid of the sensible generation of robots, he was placed in a capsule for years before being awakened, already deemed ‘old’. He would later join a Reploid group that fought against Mavericks called ‘Maverick Hunters’, alongside Zero, a fellow Reploid whose origins are unknown, despite him being seen as old as well, and both him and X possessing tremendous power and skill. They would be the main acting force of the Maverick Hunters against Mavericks, malicious scientists and Sigma, a Maverick data virus who takes physical form to forward his plans of destroying the humans and creating an ‘utopia’ where only Reploids would rule with an iron fist.

   Both hoped the wars would end, and that they would not have to fight again.

   Yet…

   There was a new type of threat rising. Something thought to not exist for at least centuries by most humans had now been “discovered”—magic. Brushed off by early millennia scientists, it was not until recently that it was proven that magic existed, in the form of magical energy, something they dubbed ‘Mist’. Mist existed naturally in nature and in all biological beings, in an energy form that can sometimes be felt and seen, but is generally unnoticeable. Mist can be channeled from the inside of a being and gathered in enough quantity to release a magical spell, utilizing thoughts and sometimes gestures and speech to cause the spell. It started simple; conjuring fire to light stoves, ice for the heat, water for plants, levitating light objects. And then it started becoming something more advanced, a fine art, and now, the humans, who before had been thought of as powerless and weak, had amazing powers of their own. And with power, there always came evil minds who wanted to utilize them for their misdeeds. The threat was advancing, and with fewer humans, not all who knew magic, raising an army of magic users to defeat the malevolent people was difficult. Reploids could help, but there was a new spell now that was able to deactivate Reploids, so sending them against these humans could prove to be dangerous and ineffective. There was much at stake, and the ones who fought for peace restlessly searched for ways they could solve the situation.

   “This is not good—I’ve lost contact with most of the brigade. A survivor said they were all deactivated in one fell swoop. They might be as good as dead by now…” Alia bit her lip, leaning back on her chair with arms crossed for a moment, but then she was upright again. “Allan, do you read me? Remove yourself from the area now, or you’ll risk being deactivated too. It’s better to have one man back alive than none.”

   Signas sighed, hands clasped together and chin resting on them as he sat. The entire communication room was in silence save for Alia, and they could do no more than wait. Zero stood next to X, his expression stiff, distant, and with this last bit of information, the latter took Zero’s hand in his own and squeezed, not knowing if it was to seek comfort for himself or to comfort his partner. The blond released a sharp breath at the touch, having been too focused in the current situation, and turned his head towards X, relaxing a little but still tense, though now there was a grateful glint in his aquamarine eyes for the comforting gesture.

   For the past month, the missions had always been the same; the Maverick Hunter forces had been sent to eliminate the magic users wreaking havoc, but all of them ended in failure. With each mission, they were able to gather more information, but it still seemed as if all they had done had been for naught. They had not been able to retrieve all their soldiers, and if this kept up, their numbers would just keep dwindling and dwindling. Usually, missions that could not be handled by normal personnel were given to X and Zero, who always came back alive—at least, for the most part—and with mission accomplished. But would this be the right choice in this situation? Was it safe to send their two best men to a task that could be hopeless for Reploids of even their caliber? They just did not know enough about the situation to be sure.

   “Deactivation spells; they deactivate most Reploids immediately, who can only be reanimated later in labs. It leaves them easy targets to be destroyed with other spells afterwards, which is why we lost so many men and women. The most dangerous spell to us yet, and we have no known protection against it. Will this be recorded in history as the age where all Reploids died in human hands…?” Alia readjusted her transmitter, and looked at Signas, then X and Zero, then back to the information screen. “Before this, the possibility of human extermination by Reploid hands was the main concern, but now, the other way around seems to be a pretty realistic possibility. How do we get around this?”

   “A human army…” Signas muttered, and then louder, “We need an army of magic users in our side, even if just to create barriers so that the deactivation spell does not hit us. It’s been a war of Reploids against Mavericks until now—why not use magic against magic?” He banged a closed fist in a matter-of-fact manner onto the desk.

   “But even now, the human populace is growing scarce, and not all civilians are ready to fight.” X pointed out, furrowing his eyebrows both in concern and thought. “How could we recruit enough willing humans to fight this war?”

   “Aren’t the three of us able to defeat them while avoiding the deactivation spells?” Axl pushed himself from the wall he’d been leaning against, walking closer to the main group. “I know we haven’t met anyone with such an immediate knocking out technique like that yet, but…”

   “It’s too reckless to endanger the three of you like this.” Layer piped in, “Because we do not have enough information on how to handle the threat, you could end up retired in this mission without any preambles, and then we not only would have lost the only warriors who can possibly stand up against them, but also the ones who can handle the toughest of Mavericks. Even if we somehow managed to defeat those humans after you were gone, who would save us all when Mavericks started attacking again?”

   Axl opened his mouth, but then closed it again, breathing out instead. It was true that there was no known Reploid in the world stronger than Zero and X, so losing them both would certainly spell trouble for the Maverick Hunters and warriors of peace. After a moment, he tried again, “Can we not develop some kind of technology asset that would shield us from the deactivation spell?”

   “Unlike the elemental spells, who we are familiar with, the deactivation spell is a monopoly of the Heidi group and its aspirators. We do not have enough data on it to manufacture a shield or counter for it yet.” Pallette informed, analyzing the data the survivor witnessed alongside Alia. “According to the data we have just received, it renders the Reploid unconscious and not quite functioning, and they need to be revived with a special electric jolt. At least they _can_ be revived, which I guess is luckier than rendering them non-functional forever, basically retiring them. But deactivated Reploids in Heidi’s hands can be as good as dead, or worse, transformed into Mavericks...” She sighed.

   “If X and Zero are somehow deactivated and turned into Mavericks, we are all as good as dead.” Layer muttered, trying to not imagine her crush as a mindless retirer.

   ‘As if that could not happen at any moment to me’, Zero thought to himself, dryly, lips curling into something a little more unpleasant.

   “We will not send them on this mission until we have a better idea of what we are dealing with. As you have all mentioned, there is too much at stake for we to lose so easily out of imprudence.” Signas returned saying, “I still believe in an army of magic users, though X is right, there are fewer humans around and not all of them are able to fight. We should at least attempt to recruit those able, though, and in a way that Heidi does not get to know about it. They are already aware that the Maverick Hunters are trying to stop them, so it might be sheer luck that they have not planned a full-out assault on our headquarters yet. If information of a Maverick Hunter based human army leaked, they could quickly change their minds about what their next focus should be. Can I count on you and the communication crew to let the civilians know?” He turned towards the three navigators in the room, who all nodded in return. “Good, then it is settled, and that puts my mind at relative ease. We cannot rest for long, though, because we are still in a tight spot. Even out of combat, we have to devise plans to get out of this situation. I do not think Heidi will listen to reason.” As he mentioned this, his gaze settled on X. “I’ve heard that their leader punishes mistakes from their underlings severely, and retires and kills anyone who goes against them.”

   “Heidi seems to believe in building a world free of Reploids, as it once was before robotics were invented. It looks like they are the opposite of Sigma… or rather, the same, but towards different beings.” Alia applied, ready to offer all information they had available on this new group. “As much as we rationally know that Reploids were an outstanding development for the world and we are capable and able working hands, like Signas said, Heidi doesn’t seem to be the type to listen to our reasons. They want all current Reploids retired and research on them to stop completely, which is another controversy, because I do not think research on Reploids will ever completely stop. They’d have to rule ruthlessly and control all facets of life to make that work, thus denying freedom for humans entirely. Not to mention that retiring all Reploids is basically mass murder. We have all reasons to go against them and their beliefs, and to worry until exhaustion about the current situation. It’s not looking very bright right now but, we’ve got to keep hoping and working towards the best. We just have to beat them, we just have to.” She seemed to be trying to convince herself of this, but she was a positive woman, and managed a smirk and a thumbs up. “As soon as I analyze the data Allan will bring to us, I’ll get on spreading the word to the civilians.”

   “If you need a spy to keep an eye on Heidi, I could always…” Axl trailed off, looking down and rubbing the back of his head; he tried to think about how good or bad an idea this was. Heidi did have Reploids working for them, but they were likely all Maverick, so it would be tough to pretend he was one, but perhaps he could do it. And he’d be among people who could deactivate him in a flash, so for once he kind of hoped that the majority of the beings there would be Mavericks instead of humans. It would be a mission of high risk that would require him to focus on his powers a lot to keep his façade up for as long as he could, and that part, he was unsure if he could do. One misstep, and he’d have to say goodbye to the world or die trying.

   The other Reploids in the room looked at him, then shared looks between each other. They were doing the same as he; rolling the possibility over in their heads, the pros and cons, what they could gain from it and the risks involved in doing so. As much as Axl was a relatively new member of the Maverick Hunters, they all had quickly grown fond of him, and it wasn’t someone they’d be willing to lose so easily.

   “It’s way too dangerous.” Pallette had a worried frown on her face, and she turned on her chair towards him. “You do really know who you are dealing with, right? They’d deactivate you in a heartbeat if they caught you, or, they don’t even need to catch you, who knows how they treat Reploids in there, you might get retired even if you did everything right and were in the form of a Maverick!” Her pitch had grown increasingly higher as she spoke, and when she noticed this, she blushed and shrunk in her chair. “I’m sorry…”

   The younger male in the room was mildly taken aback by her reaction for a few moments, and almost raised an eyebrow. “Woah, I’m… I’m glad you care about me this much, I guess?” He rubbed the back of his head again, a little nervously, fingers threading through the auburn strands. His intention was not to seem mean or non-caring—he simply did not know how to react, given how stressed out he already was just from thinking about this possible upcoming mission.

   Alia shook her head at her fellow navigator’s slip of composure from her obvious adoration for Axl; out of the three female navigators, she seemed to be the only one whose feelings for a certain person went mostly unnoticed. As much as Layer could keep her voice even, it was hard to not see her blush every time her affections for Zero showed. Pallette became much more bubbly every time Axl was around, and though she did not have the courage to confess to him yet, she basically spewed it out with body language all the time, her crush not being able to see it as it was. Poor women; Axl could not see how Pallette felt, and did not even seem to be interested; and… maybe ‘poor Alia’ was included somewhere with these women, because the reason Layer and her had no hope with their crushes was one and the same; Zero and X were in a relationship. She was not aware of when it exactly began, but it was likely before she even met the both of them, and though she still had a stupid glimmer of hope deep inside that X and her could be more than friends someday, she did not have the heart to ruin or invade something so beautiful and so strong, withstanding time, worry, and even death. It had truly sunk into her when X came back from the fight with Sigma after the Sigma Virus incident, physically whole, but so obviously missing a part of him, clutching Zero’s saber as if it was a lifeline. His eyes had changed that day, and nothing had ever seemed so horrible to him before then. Nothing had made him change that way before but Zero’s death. The light had left his body, and so it stayed until Zero came back—inexplicably to her, but nothing had ever made her feel more glad, for life had returned to her love, so she never questioned it. And also because, Zero was a friend, and he would always be, as well as another potential crush, and there was never any jealousy towards one or the other, towards their relationship, because it was simply beautiful, and she’d never tire of describing it that way. They might not be like the sticky couples she’d seen before, who hugged to never let go and kissed and never stopped kissing and looking into each other’s eyes without paying attention to anyone around them in public places, but they cared for one another and looked after one another and still indulged in loving gestures every now and then. She had noticed the handholding earlier, and it still hadn’t quite let up, their hands still touching, a comforting gesture for such tough times. Even she could perhaps get away with doing something like that, but she would keep it to herself, as she always had, and cheer them on from their side—as a mutual friend. “We all care about you, Axl. We need to know if you’re sure about that decision, because it is a pretty dangerous mission, and we can survive without the information you’d gather. At least, that is what I’d like to believe—we have no spies or contacts whatsoever close to Heidi, and therefore no idea about their next focus and targets. Knowing this could help prepare a resistance in the target areas or evacuate Reploids and citizens somewhere safer. We could even cut out their supplies, if at all possible.” As a mission navigator and planner, it was only natural that she was already lying out all the possibilities in her head. “So, yes, there would be advantages to having a spy in there, but it is your choice, and we cannot make it for you. It could cost you your life. Please think carefully about it; we won’t hold anything against you if you choose to back down.”

   “Can your power even last that long?” X inquired, coming across the first problem which definitely had not slipped Axl’s mind. “I mean, I know you’ve done stealth missions before, but you never needed to keep a façade for that long… right now, we are talking about days, or even weeks, where you’d have to do it for prolonged amounts of time, surrounded by the enemy inside a building you probably cannot leave for the duration of the espionage. As far as I know, it is tiring and you do need to rest in your true form every now and then. This is what I’ve been thinking of… how to get around this?”

   “I… I’ve been training my powers so that I can learn to keep up a façade for longer. Sometimes the amount of time is random, I can get exhausted in like, five minutes, but it also can be thirty or fifty. One hour is the longest I’ve been able to keep. As long as I do not copy high-standing Mavericks as my average transformed form, since they are probably watched over all the time, maybe it is possible? Knowing the building layout and where the resting rooms are would definitely help. It would still be very risky to sleep in a resting room though, where everyone can see me in my true form, so I might have to get somewhere safe and simply rest, or sleep, even if it’s slower than in a resting capsule. I mean, I think I might be ready, I’m not all that comfortable with just sitting around while Heidi goes along with their plans, I need to do something. This would make me feel useful for sure. I’m just… sorry I can’t use my powers for longer.” Axl sighed, slumping a bit. “If I could go a week with a façade, it’d make things so much easier and being caught so much less likely. It’d just be up to my switching forms and believable act abilities.”

   As he’d been looking at the ground with eyes half lidded in mild frustration, he was startled when a hand was placed on his shoulder. “Do not apologize for your powers; it has been a valuable asset to us and it is by no means something easy to do, even if you were programmed to be able to do it.” Zero pointed out, seeking to reassure the other about this subject. “None of us have that ability, for one. Do you really think we’d blame you for not holding up a façade for too long when it is so hard? One hour is just fine, especially since your energy is being entirely spent on mimicking not only a Reploid’s physical form but their voice and abilities as well. It’s a fairly reasonable time for such energy output. Besides, it’s hard for someone to get everything right the first time with a prototype. You’re doing very well for one, and do not blame your situation as a prototype as something crippling, because you’ve felled various mighty foes by your hands alone. It is not merely coincidence that we are all thinking so hard about this mission; not only are you a friend and comrade, but also nearly irreplaceable as a Maverick Hunter. Rarely do other Reploids achieve your level of skill.”

   The younger male hadn’t been able to help it; his lips parted in something akin to awe, looking up at the blond as if this had been the first time he’d ever seen him. Zero was not a man of many words, at least compared to himself and others, so having him say all those nice things about him, reassuring him in the face of his relative insecurity about his powers, was simply… unexpected. Comforting. Heartwarming, even—at least he _did_ feel a little warmer inside from that speech. He even almost blushed. Almost.

   It took him some time to be able to even close his mouth and recompose himself, much less speak. “I… uh… so it’s not a problem?” He asked, a little lamely, but it was hard to decide on what to say after this. Receiving a head shake from Zero, he swallowed thickly. “I see… then, as a Maverick Hunter, I choose to do this. No one else can do it but me, right? The information is important, as far as I can tell, and if doing this can help save lives, well, what problem would it be to risk my own?” He attempted to show his usual smirk, but it came out a little weirder than intended due to the lingering embarrassment from the previous compliments. “We Maverick Hunters do it all the time, right? Risking our lives in decisive missions about the fate of the world. It’s nothing new.” Except that it was, in a way, for it would be a full-time stealth data gathering mission. Nothing he did for Red Alert took as nearly as long as this one probably would, if Heidi was as hard to take down as it seemed to be. “I’ll depart as soon as we find out about their headquarters location and devise a plan to get in. No regrets.”

   “Axl…” Pallette mumbled in a weak voice, quietly protesting his choice, but it was his own decision, so there was nothing she could do about it. She had to think about the greater good and working as a team, or at least that was what she told herself as she nodded.

   “We’ll do all we can to find out about the location of their base and ways to get inside. Remember, if you get caught visually, run away, don’t let them take you. We will provide you with the most potent communicator we have so you can send us what you find out. If the communicator is jammed by an electromagnetic field, it won’t be as optimal and real-time as it could be, but write down the data and try to contact us in a week. Depending on the location of the building, we’ll have some agents nearby, and they should be able to help with whatever you need, if you are able to reach them. In case of emergency, go to them first. If the first kilometers of the surroundings of the base are constantly watched and we have no means to place agents nearby, contact us by any means necessary in case of emergency and we will send rescue your way. Understood?” Alia nodded, and received a thumbs up as response. “Great, so, we will analyze the data Allan brings us, send a rescue team to the area of today’s mission to look for survivors, spread word to the civilians, and have a spy implanted in Heidi. Any more suggestions?”

   “X, Zero, Axl, you three are dismissed, though of course I won’t stop you if you wish to remain here and help. We might have no missions for you yet, unless it is to help the rebuilding department. You should get plenty of rest in case something comes up suddenly.” Signas suggested to the males, and then turned to the navigators, “In case any of you get tired, I’ll help in communicating with the troops and analyzing data myself. You deserve rest, too, just let me know when you’re leaving first. After the rest, it’s just more work time; we cannot truly rest until this organization is vanquished from this planet. You’re free to roam, but don’t do anything reckless, alright?” It was spoken with certain fondness; creating their own missions was not something unheard of among Maverick Hunters.

The three other men nodded, restless, uneasy, but still in need of rest. Today’s mission was technically done, and though they desired to stay in the main room and find out more, maybe resting a little would brush some of the stress off them. Stress deriving from individual reasons each, but also corresponding reasons, as they were all Hunters and all connected to each other. Would the subsequent days be like this, too?

 


	2. Carbuncle's Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero receives a visit from a strange little creature in the middle of the night.

   It was silent in the resting room of Maverick Hunter headquarters. Despite the constant activity in the main room, keys being pressed, data being researched and opened, sound files being played, the walls around the resting room were strongly soundproof. Even though the resting capsules were imbedded with flowing energy that “recharged” the Reploids, and sleeping theoretically should not be necessary to them, sleeping was proven to help speed up the recharging process, as well as make it possible for some Reploids to not need resting capsules for prolonged periods of time, recharging on their own with simple rest. It meant that major or complete silence was essential to have, for Reploids slept much like humans. It was possible for them to even have dreams. The resting room was an ideal place for whoever wanted peace and quiet, some time for themselves, some time to think. And this was what Zero was doing right now.

   His thoughts wandered, drifted, even as he lay inside his designated resting capsule, a faint blue glow surrounding him as energy seeped into his form. Aquamarine eyes were seemingly fixated on the wall in front of him, when in reality all he could see was what was inside his mind. How could they get around this situation? This was nothing like what they’d ever faced before; Mavericks, Mavericks, scientists with Mavericks and machines, more Mavericks. Destroying Mavericks had been what he’d done all of his known life, and he’d fought other Reploids before, but as far as he remembered, he’d never really killed a human directly. Not that this would make any difference to him now, considering their goals and cruel means, and if all they had to fight with was magic, very similar to some abilities Reploids could be equipped with, there was nothing in the situation that could really stop him. Nothing but the deactivation spell, that was, which was their most effective weapon, and the only reason none of the three had been sent on missions against Heidi yet. Fear of death was not what stopped him personally, rather… how ineffective his attempt could end up being, and especially, being deactivated and turned into a Maverick. As Layer had previously mentioned, if this would be Zero’s and X’s fate, there was nothing known currently that would be able to stop them, perhaps not even an entire army of Reploids. Maybe they’d keep having to send the strongest known Reploids in the world one after the other for them to defeat, until they’d succumb from their wounds and exhaustion. It was not impossible, but they’d leave immeasurable death and destruction in their wake. And to know that this was what he’d been created for…

   There was a feeling of tightness in his chest and airways, and at the same moment, an echo-like voice came from outside the capsule, “Zero?”

   He squinted, tried to recover from the turn his thoughts had taken, and opened the capsule from the inside, the humming of energy flowing into him halting. The lack of any obvious presence around him befuddled him, and he stood up slowly, closed the capsule, and looked around. X was still in his own designated capsule, a faint green glow around him, his features a little troubled, reflecting the current situation of the world, but he still managed to look like a pure angel as he slept. Zero felt the urge to move closer, open the capsule, stroke his cheek and kiss the top of his head, but he refrained from it, allowing him to rest, as his eyes moved over to the capsule Axl had more or less claimed for himself, turned to the south wall. His features betrayed more troubled sleep than X’s, perhaps because of the complexity of his possible upcoming mission, and the blond hunter really could not blame him. A faint red glow surrounded the younger’s form.

   If the two of them were sleeping, as well as one or two other personnel, where could that voice have come from? Now that he thought about it, he did not recognize it. It sounded genderless, a little high pitched, and had an echo-like quality to it. It couldn’t have come from outside, considering the soundproof walls, and despite the eternal darkness of the room, he knew it was night. The speakers, maybe? But it had sounded so close to him, and who would have used the transmitter and let go of it without explaining the situation afterwards, as it was meant to be used?

   It was then that a light started forming in front of him, floating, seeming to be conjuring something. He took his saber and tightened his hold on the hilt, readying himself for a possible battle, and had to stop himself from thinking about how the enemy had been able to get into the resting room when he didn’t even know what this was yet. And slowly, a form was appearing in front of him, yellow and white light, seeming like a mixture of a feline and a bunny, big eyes, a gem on its forehead. It waved its tail around, body bouncing ever so slightly in a floating motion. “You’re… Zero, right?” The same echo-like voice reached his ears, this time, accompanied by the creature’s mouth in motion. It must have come from it.

   “I’ll answer your questions if you answer mine.” The Hunter replied, a little sharply, even though he did not feel a malicious aura from whatever the animal was; rather, it felt… benevolent, expectant. “Who are you, and how were you able to get inside?”

   “Oh, oh!” The small one waved its paws around in front of it, seeming to feel a little lost. It probably hadn’t expected that reply. “I, um, I’m just… well…” It rubbed its front paws together, “I’m a rare species of magical beings that are almost not ever seen around, we tend to hide and live in underground caves… I mean, should I be telling all of this to you? I have never spoken to a human before…” It slumped a bit. “Or, a Reploid. I’m young, and I don’t know what to do besides what I’ve been sent to do…” Hopping around in the air nervously, it looked around anxiously. “We have tremendous power, or so my maesters say, but we rarely use it. In fact, after we reach a certain age, most of us spend our lives sleeping until we feel like we’re needed. And now might be the time, the world is in grave danger for you!” It squeaked.

   “Wait, what you’ve been sent to do?” Zero questioned, lowering his weapon a bit; the other did seem to give off the aura of a lost child. “And what is this about the Earth being in danger? Does it have anything to do with Heidi’s plans?” It was hard to believe in something he’d never seen or heard about before, but perhaps there was some utility in listening to what this one had to say. It _had_ managed to get into headquarters somehow, and it simply appeared from thin air.

   “Yes, I came here with a proposal, because of the gravity of the current situation…” It mewed, “It does have to do with Heidi and their plans for the planet. They want to…” It grimaced, “Exterminate all Reploids, you do know that, right? And you can’t seem to be able to find a way to stop them, right?”

   “Signas is trying to gather a human army of magic users to counter Heidi’s forces. I don’t know how that will end up, but it might be our only chance.” He looked down, avoiding the creature with his eyes for a moment. “How do you know my name?”

   “I agree that it is a good idea, and that has to do with my proposal. And… we know a lot about what’s going on, not everything, but we know the Maverick Hunters and what’s been leaked about Heidi. We know you, Zero, and how powerful you and X are. That’s why I chose you, of all people, to talk to first.” And then it smiled, and nodded, happy that it was being understood for now.

   It was impossible to ignore the question, and though he wasn’t happy with all the answers he was getting, how little he knew about this being and its species, he simply had to ask, “And… what would this proposal be?” He hoped it was not a major waste of time, even if it felt like the little one knew so much, even though it mentioned it was young and apparently inexperienced. In a situation like this, it was hard to not want to hear out all the possibilities of defeating Heidi, in one way or the other.

   “Okay, so, Signas talked about a human army, right? It seems like the best way to handle it, since Heidi has a hold of the deactivation spell. And it only works on Reploids.” It paused, as if to let the information sink in. “Even you and X could be deactivated as far as I know, and who else could win the fights if that happened? A human army is a good idea, but it would lack great, powerful, skillful soldiers like you. What I mean to say is… this is pretty straightforward, I apologize for rushing to the point… I have the power to sacrifice myself to turn you into a human.” A moment of silence, but the creature did not allow it to linger. “We need magic to fight this war, and as much as the Reploids have become children of nature and are recognized by it, they are still human-made and lack Mist inside of them, thus keeping them from using magic. I know you have elemental abilities that work just as well as Reploids, but it doesn’t do much in the face of a foe that can instantly knock you out. And the human race is dwindling, the capable ones, even more so. The powerful spellcasters are all turning to Heidi to make use of their talents. I’ll be honest, Zero; to me, there is no one that can fight this war better than you. Even as a human, you’d be able to use powers and even energy weapons if you’d like; I don’t think you’d get much weaker, you’d be able to utilize your saber normally. You’ll be the same person, same personality, same tastes, same skills, even perhaps same power. I assure you that it wouldn’t be as crippling as you might think it would be, though you’ll have to quickly learn the ways of magic. Considering the way you manage your energy powers, I think you’ll catch onto it soon. But I can’t do this at all without your consent; it’s your decision, and I know you have lived all your life as a Reploid and you are used to it, so you might not want to change this part of who you are. It seems selfish to ask this of you, but… I see hope in you, and I see hope in what I’m doing. I don’t want to mess you up, I just think that this would be the best way to handle the current situation, even though you’ll stay as a human for much longer afterwards. But there will be no ‘after’, no future for Reploids if we don’t fix this situation. Do you understand what I mean?” There was expectancy in its eyes, hope for a positive answer, hope that it would not be disregarded as a figment of imagination or something too dangerous to deal with.

   Zero heaved a breath, eyes shifting everywhere as the information sunk in, from the ground to his own capsule to the door to the capsules of his comrades. This really was a lot to take in, and this speech seemed to be proof enough that the creature before him wasn’t kidding, wasn’t trying to waste his time, wasn’t the enemy. Transforming into a human… ending this war… hope… if the question had been, ‘do you wish to see this war end?’, his reply would have been affirmative in a heartbeat, but understandably he paused to think of what becoming a human would mean to him. To the others, as Reploids, as Hunters. To X. “You said you’d sacrifice yourself for it…” He muttered, bringing his right hand up to eye level, flexing the fingers, “Are you sure about that? Do you want to end your life for this change?”

   “It would just be one more life lost among the many ending even as we speak, and a fair price to see it all end. I’ve been thinking about it; I’m ready.” And indeed, there was barely any hesitance in its voice. “We don’t need to die for all magic we do, but this kind of thing, transforming a Reploid into a human, needs an insurmountable amount of magic power, and even I don’t know how it is really possible. It’s been done before though, so I can assure you that you probably won’t come out deformed from it. Reploids are already mostly human, so the only complicated thing is creating all the physical biology that you don’t have. Don’t worry, though young, I am already at full power. We don’t need to rush, it’s a hard decision after all, but I’ll be available any time for when you make your decision, whether it is to go through with my proposal or to decline it.”

   “I… I need more time.” The blond confessed, holding his left arm as his saber pointed down. “I do wish to see this developing war end, but maybe I’m just selfish, and need to think about what becoming a human would mean to me and the others. What this shift of power would result in. Why me, though?” He knew this question had been briefly touched upon, but he just had to ask again. “It could have been anyone else. If no one is powerful enough, it could have been Axl, it could have been X.”

   The little one gave a hesitant, long shrug, looking at the saber the other held. “I think I became fonder of you after learning about you and the others. That, and you wield a saber as your main weapon, which will make no difference if you turn into a human, given it’s a physical weapon. X uses energy blasts most of the time, so he’s more dependent on energy as a weapon. Not that we can’t transform them into humans, too; it doesn’t need to be only one of you, but, you understand, I can only sacrifice myself for one of you. If the others wanted to become humans too, I’d have to inform my people about it. However, you were the first person that came into my mind, and seeing you now, like this, thinking about the future, ready to protect your friends and the world, I think I’ve made the right decision. I’ll give you time. Sorry if I seem pushy, I just, I believe in this idea. I believe we can win this fight. I’ll be around, but if you don’t make your decision in a week, I’ll come to talk to you again, okay?”

   There was nothing the Hunter could do but nod weakly, accepting the awaiting terms of this strange new creature. It was desired for him to make his decision within a week… would that be enough time? Would it not be easier to refuse it right away? But if he refused the offer, what could they do to fight against Heidi? At any moment, they could barge into Headquarters, deactivating all Reploids in the vicinity, and the Maverick Hunters would be no more. They’d either get rid of him and X too, or take them to become Mavericks working for them. This decision was important, because it could mean a drastic change in the situation, to their advantage. It seemed like the worst that could happen was everything continuing to be the same as it was before. But he’d fight to change that, he’d learn magic, he’d face Heidi head on. With an opportunity this huge, he could not simply just throw it away, but he was not secure enough about it to accept it right away, either.

   “Alright! I’m sorry for all of this, I hope you’ll think it over carefully. Goodbye for now!” And the creature was fading away into light, until all that rested was the darkness of the room, just as Zero thought of asking it for a name. It shouldn’t matter now… if his mind had been too troubled with thoughts to sleep before, now it was even worse, reeling and reeling with this new possibility and the choice he’d have to make. He did not mind humans at all, for one, but lacking powers had always been something he worried about for them, even though they could equip energy weapons as well, and now, with magic, it shouldn’t be that much of a problem, should not make that much difference powers-wise if he was to become one. If he was to be honest with himself, ever since he fell for X, he’d dreamt that maybe one day they could have children, a family of their own, and though he did not know the details, only humans seemed to be able to produce children. He thought that the DNA of the parents was mixed in the laboratory somehow and implanted in either parent’s womb, and there was pregnancy, and a child came from it. Reploids were simply created with technology, and though they could have a sense of family, it did not feel the same as receiving DNA from parents and pregnancy and watching a child grow. Reploids didn’t grow, they simply… matured. It would be a lie to say that the thought of the both of them having children together did not fill him with hope with this possibility, but still the pros and cons should be carefully analyzed. The world’s safety was more important than creating a family, and he still did not know which decision would aid the world more in the end.

   He shook his head, took in a deep breath. The Z-Saber was put away, left hand falling to his side and then brought up to massage his temple. Instead of resting, he was just getting more tired and stressed out… but where before there had been a feeling of being lost before the situation, which seemed like a nearly unwinnable battle, there was now some hope that he could help fix this. That they could all fix this. He had a week, at first, and the clock was ticking towards Heidi’s possible attacks on them. Making a decision as soon as possible would be best, but he still had to thread over the possibility carefully. And he’d have to tell the others, it would be unfair not to, as that’d probably affect his mission performance in the future somehow. Hopefully his skills would all be carried over, and he’d be as strong and as agile as before, but he would have to learn magic from step zero and do it quickly.

   And X… what would X think about this?

   There was another sigh as he returned to his capsule, and would hopefully sleep this time.


	3. A Change for the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A decision is made, and ideals are shared.

   Two days later, Zero had thought about the possibility for an entire day, how his life would change, what would be new, what would be old, how everyone’s lives would change with it. The most jarring difference would probably be biological needs, such as eating. He didn’t know too much about humans to know other details, but humans seemed to eat and drink all the time, and their lives kind of revolved around meal times and the such. Reploids were not equipped with taste, and trying to eat would probably mess up with the internal constitution, so eating as a human would certainly be an interesting new experience. Maybe he’d start feeling like a drag to the entire team, though, if he needed to eat as often as thrice a day. Maverick Hunters headquarters was also not equipped with anything necessary for humans, but this was the last thing he should worry about.

   He hadn’t yet told anyone of the creature’s visit. He’d been steeling, preparing himself for it since then, and now that he’d thought better about the subject, it seemed like a good time as any to mention it to them. Hopefully no arguing would happen because of it, and he’d been trying to turn down the possibility that X would stop loving him if he became a human entirely. Rationally, he knew this was completely silly, a creation of paranoia, but he couldn’t help this instinctive worry, because losing X would probably end him. And if it happened because of a decision he made that could easily have had another outcome, he’d feel stabbing regret and even hatred towards himself. No, it wouldn’t happen; X’s love for him knew no bounds, and he was a loving person, caretaker of all things, peoples and creatures, so what difference would it make to him if he was human or not? He would still be himself, after all; he was a human Reploid, so all difference would be on his biology. And what’s more… a very compelling reason for him to accept the being’s proposal was the fact that, if he was human, he’d never, ever have to worry about turning Maverick anymore. No gnawing feeling of anxiety that he could lose control at any moment, become what he was “meant” to be, a Reploid retirer. His origins would not matter anymore, and he’d be free to choose his own fate, no worry about technological viruses to change him into something else. Even the possibility of acquiring human diseases did not seem to be as grand as this development. He could not be changed, only killed. It was by far a better death than becoming a Maverick.

   “Zero, are you okay?” X’s soft, worried tone awoke him from his reverie, a hand resting on his arm. “You’ve been spacing out a lot recently. It’s starting to worry me. Is it about Heidi?” Concern touched X’s features, clearly present in his caring emerald eyes.

   “I’m sorry.” It was an instinctive response from the blond, for causing his lover to worry, moving forward just barely so he was not leaning against the wall of the main room anymore. “I’m alright, please don’t be so concerned. Heidi… it’s related to Heidi. There is something I need to tell you. All of you.”

   Briefly, the brunet’s features showed even more worry, but then he stopped himself, face becoming more serious and decided, and he gave his partner a nod, as if he was ready to listen to mission briefings.

   Satisfied with the reaction, Zero walked forward until he was at a good viewing spot in the room, though not too far from the wall he’d been leaning against. The others were doing their work, planning, researching, sending messages, writing. Taking in a deep breath, he raised his voice just enough to be heard, “Everyone, I have an announcement.”

   The navigators, Signas and Axl (even he was doing research) piped up, most of them immediately stopping what they were doing due to this new development; Zero wanting to talk to everyone. It wasn’t often he was the one to desire everyone’s attention for a second, especially if nothing was spoken at all beforehand. They turned on their chairs towards him, steeling themselves and at the same time betraying expectancy, as children would before the climax of a tale their grandparents told them. “Proceed.” Signas applied, still trying to regain his composure and seem like the captain he was.

   The blond Hunter battled with himself for a few moments on whether he should look at everyone beforehand or not, but in the end, he briefly flitted his eyes across the room and decided to spew it out, “Two days ago, a creature appeared from light at night in the resting room, and called my name. I was awake, so I went to investigate what it was, and then it showed itself to me, and we talked about the current situation. It seems like it said it was from a species of magical beings that typically live in underground caves and are almost never seen, able to use their magic for great feats. It seemed to be young, and had a benevolent aura to it; I don’t think it was lying. It came to me with a proposal.” Everyone’s faces were still expectant, waiting to see what would be the end of this story. “That if I so choose, it would be able to transform me into a human by sacrificing itself.”

   Silence pervaded the entire room, and Zero was sure he’d never seen such a long period of silence after anyone had said anything. The screens still beeped, but the Reploids were mute, staring at him with conflicting emotions shining on their eyes.

   Signas was the first to speak, “Are you sure this was not simply a dream or hallucination caused by stress? It’s possible, we’ve all been exhausted with Heidi around. I certainly wouldn’t blame you for that.”

   “I’m sure what I saw was real. I was wide awake. At least… I don’t think I should be hallucinating, but it wasn’t a dream.” Zero muttered, feeling X walk up to behind him.

   “I believe in Zero about all that he said, I don’t think the main problem here is whether it was real or not, and I trust that it was, but this whole turning into a human thing, and the motives the being has behind this proposal.” The blue Hunter took a moment to look at everyone himself, “It seemed to be benevolent, as you said, but,” He turned to Zero, “What if its people are trying to eliminate you as a threat by weakening you and getting rid of your powers?”

   The taller male absentmindedly gathered the ends of his long hair into his hands, playing with the tips. “It seemed to be convinced that I would retain most of my powers. No one can take the skills I have with the Z-Saber away from me. I would not have the buster ingrained into my arm anymore, but I could still equip energy weapons, many humans do that for self-protection. I don’t think it wants to weaken me—rather, it seemed worried about the fate of the Reploids with Heidi around, thus it offered me that proposal so I could fight against Heidi with no fear of being deactivated, perhaps even leading the human army we manage to gather. It said… none of the humans were as powerful as I was, and that we needed people like me to fight this war. And also, if it thought about self-preservation, it would not have offered me anything at all, given that it is going to perish with the amount of magic needed to make this happen, or so it says. I also thought it sudden and weird for this new, unrecorded species to come around saying things like that, but I can’t deny what I’ve seen, and I have no reasons to distrust it. It appeared from a glow of light in thin air, and if it’s capable of such mobility and powers, it and its people could already have come and destroyed the entire Maverick Hunters headquarters, if this was what they desired. It could have transformed me into a human right then and there, without my consent. But it didn’t, it offered me the choice and gave me time. I really think it is speaking the truth. And I’ve been thinking about this long and hard since then… it’s actually not as bad as it might seem.”

   Even as the entire room was looking at him, gears reeling fast and continuously in their minds, all that truly mattered to him was X, how he would react to this. Even without a heart, he felt his insides pulsing with anxiety and expectation, looking at his beloved intently to observe his reaction. And the other was speechless for some time, looking at Zero in return, trying to see if there was anything in him that betrayed hesitance, insecurity, fear. And all he could see of insecurity was towards him, towards what _he_ thought about all of this. What did X think about this? Well, he trusted his lover above all else, so he knew he was saying the truth. What he hesitated before was, admittedly, Zero turning into a human. He didn’t know what would happen to his powers if that happened, and even if he stayed practically the same abilities-wise, it would still be a little different, everything they did. There would be human biology involved instead of Reploid “biology”, and that would be very new. But he did not worry about the other turning into something else, no. He’d be the same, he’d look the same, he’d feel the same—at least, as far as he hoped, since he had no idea what this creature Zero spoke about was capable of. If he equipped the same armour, there’d basically be no difference if one looked at him before and after, except he’d have to eat, and the energy he’d spend would be dictated by his system so he’d need to sleep, but wasn’t it different for everyone? Each Reploid had their own internal systems and energy output and need for energy, too, so they’d be dealing with essentially the same thing. He’d use his saber as he’d always had, and they could equip him with the same energy weapons, and plus, wasn’t the point of all of this to not be deactivated and to have magical powers, too? It’d just be one more weapon in his arsenal, and this seemed to be a good thing. No being deactivated by spells, no turning into a Maverick. But what about him? Would Zero become a human while he stayed as a Reploid, away from this war until something was done about the deactivation spell?

   “Zero…” X started, “Let me become a human instead. I can fight in this war for you, you don’t need to change to save us all, you’ve already even died to save us all—and me. It’s about time I do my part. If this will be able to make me defeat Heidi instead of wait around twiddling my thumbs, I’ll gladly do it. Everyone says the organization won’t listen to reason, so there is nothing I can do but fight, and if turning into a human will make it possible for me to, I will gladly do so.” There was now determination in his voice, to do this to save the world from Heidi and comply with Dr. Light’s wishes, as well as their own, and to not allow Zero to accept it so easily—he didn’t need to change for all of them. “That’s what I gathered that the light being wants, right?”

   “You don’t think I’ve arrived to the same conclusion as you?” Zero shook his head, long golden locks swishing about after they were released. There was some relief to be had from his lover’s reaction, because it was not negative, and it was simply so _X_. But at the same time, this could spring up a little argument. “I want to save this world, too, and I’m ready to do what it takes for it. Turning into a human would not be changing too much about me, so it’s not as much of a sacrifice as you are thinking it is, although… I have the same feelings when I think of you turning into a human. It doesn’t need to be the both of us, especially if we have a human army by our side, besides our Reploid soldiers who can also serve as support. We don’t know how this will end up.”

   “But you’re placing a lot of hope on turning into a human, so what bad could it be for the both of us to do it?” It wasn’t exactly the green-eyed Hunter’s initial plan, because he worried a lot about Zero changing, regardless of rationally knowing it probably would change nothing between them. But if they continued on with either thinking it should be them and not the other to transform, they would just argue endlessly, so he put the next seemingly best choice on the table; the both of them transforming.

   The idea made Zero pause, even though he’d had been rolling over this possibility in his head, too, especially if he wanted them to raise a family of their own someday. Yet, it had never been a completely serious thought where he actually thought about mentioning it to X or anything, and now, his beloved was suggesting it himself, so it was suddenly a very real possibility. “I… I don’t see why not?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “You’ve only had a few minutes to think about it, though. Are you sure of this?”

   “It’s true that I probably should take a few days to think it over, but… it would feel kind of selfish, to see you become a human while I stayed a Reploid. And then you’d fight, while I stayed here. We were always a team, we _are_ a team, there won’t be any separation now. I know I wasn’t talking about it before, and it’s because I really worry about you, but maybe this would be for the best… regardless of my concern. We shouldn’t part ways now. And is there ever any doubt I’d change something in a heartbeat to see the world well?” A fond smile was painted over his lips, “I don’t need more time, I’m ready.”

   “You’re ready…” The blond echoed, letting out a breath that was the beginning of a chuckle. “You never change. It’s always doing everything for the sake of the planet. I see. I’d still recommend thinking it over more carefully, but I guess nothing can stop you now. There is one thing, though, it was only one creature that came to me, and it said it’d have to call its comrades if anyone else wanted to become human, since it’d have to sacrifice itself to perform this feat. So, depending on how long it takes between one transformation and the other, I’ll ask one thing of you… can I transform first, so we can all see what happens?”

   “Zero…” Layer couldn’t help objecting, but Alia was soon by her side and with a hand on her shoulder, her eyes conveying the message that this was Zero’s decision, and he’d already decided. Defeated, the purple-haired navigator lowered her head. She also worried for what would happen to him, if it was really okay for a Reploid to crush on a human, but she kept her lips sealed, because maybe his own decision was for the best. She didn’t want to sound pushy.

   X looked down for a moment, sighing, and then looked towards his partner again. “Okay. You transform first. But don’t rush ahead, because I’ll not be far behind.”

   “Do I hear a decision?” A light voice echoed through the room, and between Zero and X there was a yellowish shine, conjuring a spinning little creature floating in the air. It seemed to lose its balance and waved its arms around trying to regain it, and then it sat back. “Sorry about that.” It scratched the back of its head sheepishly. “Did you miss me?”

   “Is this the one?” The brunet asked Zero, reaching out to touch it, and was surprised to find that it was actually solid despite its appearance.

   The little one squeaked at being poked. “Hey, hey! No one’s ever touched me before, this feels… new.”

   “Yes, they are the one.” At least, the voice seemed to be the same as well as the appearance, if those even changed between individuals of the species at all. “Don’t touch it, you don’t know where that thing has been.” The red hunter applied playfully, and then in a more serious note, “I forgot to ask you your name that day. Is there anything you’d like to be called by?”

   At the lighthearted jab, the being huffed and stomped its hind foot on the air, but then its slightly fussy personality showed again. “Ahh, a name…? Why would it be of any importance for me to give you a name, since I’ll just sacrifice myself to change you?” It patted its cheeks, a little lost. “I don’t have a name… I mean, not a pronounceable one at least. We have energy tags for each individual, and to refer to them, we simply emit that energy tag. It has sounds sometimes. I guess… I guess you can call me Carbuncle.” It paused for a moment, and then nodded, satisfied with its answer, “Yes, yes, Carbuncle is one of the names they gave to our species, you can call me that.”

   All of the others were staring, and definitely believed Zero now. Pallette felt like cooing at the adorable little one, and Alia quickly checked for energy signals in her screen. “I cannot read any energy from this being… we have not yet developed technology that can gauge the presence of Mist. It’s almost as if it cannot be detected by any means by machinery.” She applied.

   “I can feel its presence at least. So much Mist for such a tiny little body…” Axl informed.

   “Carbuncle.” Zero diverted its attention from the others, “I don’t know where exactly you were these past days and if you’ve even heard our conversation a few minutes ago, but X says he wants to become human, too. Could you make that happen?”

   Carbuncle’s eyes lighted up, its ears raising in excitement. “Oh, that’s so great! We won’t have one, but two of the best warriors on Earth fighting against Heidi! I’m sure you can win against them now. Yes, of course I can make that happen, I can transmit a message to my people right now so they’ll send someone for X, but that can take some time, because they’ll have to decide who will go and whatnot, if you don’t mind.”

   “I don’t mind waiting, just don’t take overly long, okay? Heidi has gotten away with too much as it is, we can’t let them do any more damage. We’ll still have to learn magic, after all, so time is precious. The faster we can do something, the better.” The blue Hunter pointed out.

   “Talking about doing something, you guys _are_ doing something, right? What about that human army plan, how is it coming along?” The light being was curious about this development, and it’d like to know about it before it died, so there would be more feeling of hope and that it did the right thing as its consciousness faded.

   “We are gradually sending messages to the people personally in sections, and by now three have replied with interest, so we might get some trainees soon.” Signas informed, still feeling a little proud he’d brought this plan up. “It is always slow at first, but I feel like, with time, there will be more and more adherents to our cause. Maybe even enough to build the army we are imagining. If not, I think we can still handle it, now that we’ll assuredly have Zero and X in the action, too. I admit that it’s quite an unexpected turn of events, you coming along and offering to turn our best men into humans, but if it’s for the good of the world, I don’t see why not. It might be just what we needed to get the upper hand in this war.” It was a decision he could support, as long as the two would retain their powers and continue their missions as Maverick Hunters all the same—and as long as they’d be happy with it.

   “This is such good news…” Carbuncle chirped, “I’ll send these news over to my mates right now. Yes, with Zero and X using their usual arsenal, plus magic, and bypassing the deactivation spell, they should be invincible! At least I hope so…” It said the last part a little quieter; who knew what Heidi had hiding in their sleeve? There was no sure guarantee that being immune to deactivation would be the only key in winning. It was a main factor, sure, even requiring these two to change their forms to not face likely immediate defeat, but with both magic spells and energy weaponry in the enemy’s hands, anything could happen. Sending the information over took Carbuncle a minute or two, and when it was finished, it looked up at Zero. “So, are you ready for this? Changing yourself to change the world?”

   The male looked over to X, and held the emerald gaze for a little while, many emotions being shared in such a simple-looking gesture, in such a short amount of time, before the both of them nodded, and Zero turned back to the light being. “I’m ready. Are you ready to sacrifice yourself for this cause?”

   “Ready!” It exclaimed, trying to garner all of its will, not only to prepare itself for the spell, but to steel itself for the death that would follow. As the Reploid’s eyelids fell shut, waiting for the transformation, Carbuncle gathered Mist from its entire body and the surroundings, focusing it, willing all of its power and strength into a single spell. The lights flickered, light and Mist concentrating in a single shining spot, and the spell was released with a determined yell from its caster, who proceeded to start fading from existence. The magic enveloped Zero entirely, a groan being heard before light all but engulfed him, changing him, recreating him. Wires and metal gave way to meat and veins, nerves, blood. In a lingering flash, the organs were created, meant to be fully functional, the body the Hunter once had barely changing on the outside, something that made the spell require less force. The armour, that had been part of his body, transformed with him, but the helmet fell away, knocking against the floor. And after a minute or so, the light enveloping him started fading away, slowly at first, and then in a faster pace. As soon as X saw his form tip forward, he rushed to grab the unconscious Zero before he could hit the ground, and held him dearly, taking in a deep breath as he felt soft skin touching him and he could see his lover’s long, flowing hair—which had not changed at all.

   Carbuncle was gone, and everyone’s thoughts were the same; if it had really worked, if Zero was alright. Alia wanted to check his pulse and breathing, but with X holding him like that, she did not have the heart to. So she simply stood and said, “I’m going to go and grab clothes for him.” Before walking off in a quick pace to do just that. X might not understand what being nude even really means, but she did, and her help with clothes would help make things much less awkward for everyone there.

   The blue Hunter indeed did not understand why clothes would even be that important at all, especially so immediately. Faint breaths touched his shoulder, the blond’s chest in light motion against him, and it was such a relief. “He’s alive. I think it worked.” He applied, suddenly feeling like smiling, because it didn’t end up in disaster like something of this caliber could possibly end up being. Zero seemed to be safe and whole, and right now, that was really all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of wanted to know if this story is too rushed right now-- I don't know if I feel like this just because I'm the author, hahh. So feedback on that regard would be appreciated.


	4. Discovering Humanity, And A New Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They learn a little more about human biology, and messages come in with crucial information.

   Despite the anxiousness that had settled in their psychological hearts at first, the silence in the main room was peaceful; Zero was alright, as far as they knew, and X had knelt on the ground, holding him as he sat on his lap, cradled against his chest. Affectionately, he brushed blond locks away from his face, humming a quiet tune he’d recovered from very early memories. It reminded him of when he’d first woke to the world, and meeting Zero for the first time. He hoped the other remembered this theme as much as he did, because he’d be waking up to the world once more—this time, with different internal systems, and rid of the possibility of becoming a Maverick. He hoped that now, his lover would not sulk about the past and future fears as much as when he was a Reploid (this was so eccentric to say; when he was a Reploid. It just happened a few minutes ago, but now, that’s how things would be from now on—referring to being a Reploid in the past tense), as he’d done before to very worrying levels sometimes. The nights where all X wanted was to cuddle him but Zero would be spaced out and too drawn into memories and worries to pay attention were countless, and the red Hunter was a good and caring lover, he really was, X could wish for no one else, but the way he’d brood and feel so distant from everyone else sometimes concerned him a lot. This would hopefully change now, and he wasn’t saying that Zero was meant to want to cuddle at all times, it just showed X that, every time he did, he was okay. He was relaxed and content enough to snuggle him for a long time and share kisses and whispers and nuzzling, and the fact that the brunet could give him these moments of peace felt great. He was one of the reasons Zero’s life was worth living, and from now on, he hoped that he’d gain many more little things that were worth it, and it wouldn’t be just him and fighting for peace in the world. It would be going out and interacting with people, sitting on the grass at the park, swimming in a lake, spending time with the whole headquarters crew, trip, fall, but get up again, with a bashful little smile on his face and firm conviction that he would not let it happen again. And it was this Zero that he fought to create a better world for, that he’d give up his life in a heartbeat for, that he’d do everything for; a man that risked his life every day for peace, who was intent on saving everyone despite his own troubles and fears, who could brood a little but could still get better with a smile and a kiss to the cheek from X. Someone who deserved a better life than worrying endlessly, and X would do everything to make that happen. This was why he still fought, despite hating violence. It would be so Zero would not have to in the future, so all people and Reploids could lead peaceful lives without being hunted or hated, together. It was a future worth fighting for, by his side.

   Layer was doing everything in her power to look everywhere but at Zero, because her crush was _nude_ in _the same room as her_ , and X probably had never heard of genitals in his entire life but she sure did, she studied human biology in her early years just like all the other navigators, and this was so, so embarrassing. Her face could not have been hotter and redder, because fighting the urge to look at him and his exposed self was almost impossible, and her thoughts wandered about how he looked like and how _adorable_ he’d be discovering himself—she needed life alert.

   Pallette would have laughed at the expense of her friend if only she did not feel giggly for the same reason. Zero might not be as high in the crush indicator as Axl to her, but damn if he was not drop-dead attractive as well. Seeing people nude was also not something Reploids did often outside of their anatomy studies, so she couldn’t quell her curiosity, but was polite enough to stop looking after a bit. Poor Layer; maybe she should dump a bucket of cold water on her head so she wouldn’t end up overheating from all that blushing.

   Axl was more or less in the same boat as Zero and X; he hadn’t done anatomy studies or anything like that, so he was pretty confused by what was resting between Zero’s legs. Not remembering the scientist who created him, not even recording when he woke up, he could only remember being taken in by Red, and since then he’d fought, did countless missions as a Maverick hunter for Red Alert. He did not go to a Reploid learning centre like Alia, Layer, Pallette and Signas had gone. That did not mean that he was dumb or uninformed, mind you, but how could he ever have learned about something like this from experience? Humans wore clothes all the time, and he figured it was for protection and aesthetic as well as means to recognize or standardize people and their jobs. But apparently, there was more to it than that, and he was out of the loop on that one reason. Would he have the same anatomy, were he to turn into a human…?

   Honestly, he’d been drifting away in his thoughts. Ever since they’d started talking about Carbuncle’s proposal, he’d wondered, what if he was to turn into a human, too? He might not be as powerful or as well-known as Zero and X, but he was the third best Hunter, as far as he knew, and was sent on missions together with them. Shouldn’t he also need this protection to fight against Heidi, without risk of being deactivated? Yet, a conflicting train of thought was his possible upcoming undercover mission, and his powers. If he turned into a human, he’d lose his ability to copy other Reploids… probably. He didn’t understand how that spell worked at all, and what he’d lose, what he’d gain with it, but wasn’t this power part of being a Reploid? Admittedly, he did not know how it worked himself; if he had had any memories of waking up and meeting his “creator”, he did not remember any of them, so there were no conversations or even papers to read that could have led him to know how this power was ingrained into him. It was probably too technical either way, but not knowing by whom, where and when he was created, for what purpose, how they’d gotten a hold of creating this copying technology before anyone else, was kind of unnerving. None of the Hunter researchers or even Red Alert had been able to get a hold of data on him, so he really wondered about the scientist’s motives and whereabouts. Had it been an illegal procedure? Had they been discovered? Was he even complete yet? Well, he did feel complete, at least… aside from a slight feeling that there was something missing, about his biology. Maybe what had appeared in Zero was exactly it, and he just didn’t know it. But, even with all that, he was here right now, right? He was a prototype, but his powers worked, to a certain extent, and he could fight and go in missions and work for peace, and most importantly, he wasn’t a Maverick. Whatever his creation entailed, it didn’t cross his mind too much, and it was only doing so now because maybe then he’d know what would happen to his powers if he transformed into a human. Maybe magic was capable of these kinds of things, too. But he guessed that it was unlikely with what they knew now, so even with these troubling thoughts, he decided to keep his lips sealed about it. Let Zero and X transform into humans as they wished, and do his own undercover mission while he was still a Reploid.

   It took some time, but Alia returned with clothes for Zero, and the man in question still hadn’t woken up. “I’m sorry…” She panted, out of breath from rushing then and back, “I had to go into the city and request this contact for clothes, just anything Zero could wear while we requested armour and clothes to be done specifically for him. I told him even pajamas would be fine, but he insisted that I accept some nice casual clothes… at least they weren’t suits or anything formal and expensive like that, or else I would have to refuse.” She looked down at the still unconscious blond, shoulders sagging lightly, “Do we wait for him to wake up or put these on him already…? He is alright, right? You checked his breathing and pulse and everything?”

   “It doesn’t make any difference to me. But now that he is human, he can catch… colds, right? So maybe putting those on him would be good.” X replied, still cradling him affectionately. “He’s breathing; I think he’s fine. Alive, at least. How can we know if his insides are alright?”

   “Well…” Alia approached the both of them, not being able to hold back a light flush of her own at Zero’s state, but she refrained from staring out of politeness. “We’ll only be able to find out as the days go by, as he eats and voids and sleeps. We can’t scan him with these computers, because they were programmed to scan Reploids, so it’s ineffectual. I think it’s better to wait and find out, but if you get really worried, we can always get him to a hospital to scan him and check him over.” She then offered one of the bundle of clothes she held; a long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and boxers.

   “Voids…?” The blue hunter raised an eyebrow, shifting so he could still hold his lover as he received the clothes with the other hand. “I’m not that desperate, I think we’ll be fine without getting a hospital involved. The less people know about this development, the better. Heidi won’t see it coming when human Zero knocks at their door. It’s safer this way.” At least, he hoped that this would remain a secret somehow even as they had to go out of their way to get food and whatnot.

   The blonde stared at him blankly for a moment. She almost forgot that she was dealing with someone who was born fighting, and had never gone to a learning institute. He probably had no idea about a human’s daily life in this aspect, as he barely had any contact with them. Would she have to be the one to teach X and Zero the ways of human life? Oh, dear… “Humans eat and drink, that much you know, but unlike us with energy, which is always used and reused in their normal form, the human body cannot utilize everything they consume, so what is not utilized needs to be removed from the body in some form, because it’s toxic to it in too much quantity or if left alone for too long. That’s what voiding is, and it exists primarily in two forms; urinating, which is expelling liquid with lots of salt and other smaller substances, and defecating, which is expelling solid matter, basically the rest of the food you can’t digest, which is absorbing nutrients from food. Before you ask, you urinate through the penis in the case of males, which is that long rod-like appendage you see between Zero’s legs; at the end of it there is a tiny hole, a slit, and that’s where the liquid comes out of. Oh dear— X, please, don’t do this in front of everyone, it’s improper!” She squeaked, her blush brightening as the other went to actually check where the slit was. She was pretty sure she heard Layer let out a sound that seemed more like a strangled squeal than anything else, and X just looked up at her and blinked, as if waiting for an explanation. At least he’d removed his hand after a bit.

   Alia sighed, bringing the bundle of clothes up to burrow her face into them for a second before trying again, “G-genitals, which are whatever you have between your legs, are something really intimate for humans, which they’re only comfortable showing to lovers, and even then it takes a while. It’s not for everyone’s eyes, you see? It’s… embarrassing. So please don’t do it while there are people around, don’t show yours or anyone’s genitals. Do you understand?” It was _very_ important that he understood. “And please tell everything I’m saying right now to Zero, I don’t want to repeat myself.”

   “I… see.” X swallowed thickly, looked at the man resting on him, then at the navigator, then back at him and placing the bundle of clothes over his crotch. “Is this better? I’ll take him somewhere else to put these clothes on him. You gave me two kinds of pants, though…” He noted, and now it made so much more sense why humans were not seen naked anywhere, since they were embarrassed of their lower halves. And if his own crotch as a Reploid was anything to go by, it was easy to get embarrassed about it if they were just as sensitive. He’d learned so much today.

   “The smaller ones are boxers actually, you put them under the actual pants. It’s simply added comfort from genital protection.” Alia rubbed the back of her neck. Oh well, if no one was going to explain these things to them, she would have to be the one to. It was technically her job, as navigator. She allowed herself to think about learning books for a moment, but they complicated things so much in them that she might as well explain it herself. She hoped she would not have to explain sex, but it seemed inevitable, considering they’d probably want to know what the testicles are for. The price of friendship.

   “Ah…” The brunet nodded, feeling like his knowledge on humans was pretty limited, if all of Alia’s explanations were any indication. He’d probably have to learn all about it now, to better take care of Zero and for when he became a human himself, as well. Right now, though, he probably should give the navigator some rest. “I’ll clothe him in the resting room. Sorry for the trouble, I just know so little about humans, apparently… I’ll research them later, don’t you worry.” He hooked his other arm under Zero’s legs, raising him up and off the ground, and then carried him somewhat effortlessly to the resting room in the back of the main room.

   “You know…” Pallette started, after at least one minute of silence, “He’s going to want to know how often voiding happens. I can write a resume about human biology for them to read if you want me to, Alia.” It’d probably save her a lot of grief, and less burrowing face into clothes. “Then you can keep sending recruiting messages to the citizens and Layer can take care of mission planning, after she stops dying.” If she had any papers on her, she would have started fanning her work partner, who had her heated face on her hands. Instead, she just patted her on the back, “There there, Layer, they have no idea about what any of that means. They’ll soon learn, though.”

   The purple-haired woman just whined, and Axl decided to pipe in, “Can I… can I read that resume, too?” Just in case. Just in case, he told himself, that his assumptions were wrong and he’d become like them to have a chance against Heidi. Besides, as he’d have two human teammates now, the information certainly would come in handy. Teammates. Yeah. His heart fluttered at the thought of them, but that’s what they were. Nothing… else…

   “Uh, sure, Axl. It’s only natural you’d want to help them.” Pallette’s voice cut through his thoughts, startling him a tiny bit. “You didn’t go to any learning institute, too?’

   “Y…yeah, I didn’t. I’m missing out, so teach me the ways of human life.” He mumbled.

   “Hold on, I’m picking up a message.” Signas declared, allowing the message to go through his transmitter, and the navigators did the same, albeit Layer had to take a few deep breaths to try and recompose herself. As the information went through, Alia returned to her work chair and put the remaining clothes on her lap, starting to type down the details as soon as she opened up a new file for it.

   Axl rested his head on the table in front of him, taking in a deep breath. His own transmitter was not connected to the general personnel usually, so he didn’t have a way to listen in. He’d been doing some research on the city’s establishments himself, trying to find clues of the location of Heidi headquarters. If it was a building inside the city itself, then it’d be easier to locate them than in a remote location, but who knew where the little devils had hidden themselves. The market system of nearby establishments did not betray any unusual activity, so they should be acquiring their supplies from somewhere else…

   “Axl.” Signas picked up his attention, the Reploid in question raising his head off the table. “We have new information on your upcoming mission.”

   “Let’s hear it.” He ran a hand through his hair, standing up and moving closer to the main computers. So it was already decided.

   “A contact of ours in the industrial district managed to pacifically draw out crucial information from a supplier. They discovered the location of Heidi headquarters, as well as picked up that there will be a supply train leaving the industrial district towards the building at midnight today. You will go to the district, infiltrate the train, and from there, infiltrate Heidi. You might have to shift forms constantly during this first mission. We’ll navigate you until the train, but from then on, you’ll be by yourself physically and navigation-wise, as we cannot analyze the insides of Heidi headquarters. We cannot pick any signals from their computers and transmitters, but they might not have updated all their signal blockers yet, so you may be able to contact us from the inside. You will be requested to leave immediately for the industrial district, so you can “catch” the supply train. Understood?” Having said all this as a commander, Signas then proceeded a little more softly, “Are you ready for this?”

   So, this was it. Axl swallowed thickly, and then nodded. He was ready for this; for the past two days, that was almost all he thought about, and his decision was made, that he would not back down from this. He was ready to risk his life for this cause. “I’m ready. Don’t worry about me. Who will be my navigator until the train?” He turned towards the three women, and Pallette almost immediately raised her hand. “Alright then. Do you want me to take the hover bike to the industrial district? I’d like to preserve all my energy for the transformations.”

   Signas nodded. “Make preparations, take a hover bike and leave as soon as possible. We won’t know when you’ll be able to return…” He paused, took in a breath as he added in his mind, ‘or if you’ll even return’, but decided to not voice it for obvious reasons. “So if you want to take some time to say farewell to everyone beforehand, I won’t stop you.”

   “Understood. I won’t be long.” The auburn-haired male nodded, going to the resting room to check on his things.

   Zero still hadn’t woken up, but now he was clothed, hopefully less cold. X was still holding him, sitting on a bench, since he figured that the resting capsule would be ineffective to him now. He looked up when Axl came in, but the younger Reploid would talk to them later, so he just nodded X’s way as he went to his own capsule. They might not have their own rooms, but it didn’t really bother him yet, because he did not have a lot of things he wanted to keep. So all that he did have were put on his capsule; Axl Bullets, at least whenever he was resting (they were on him right now since he had been on the main communication room; who knows when they could be attacked); a bottle of water in case of internal systems suffering a hydration problem; a crimson rose pendant painted with enamel, the most heartfelt gift Red had ever given him. It was full of memories of their time together, and it had been proof that Axl had not only been a hunter toy for him to manipulate, but he’d basically raised him and was fond of him and cared about his safety. This pendant was very important to him, and if he could, he’d wear it all the time, but it was probably safer for him to keep it in his capsule. Missions could go wrong really, _really_ fast—and so many things could happen to that pendant, it simply wasn’t worth the risk. So he took the enamel object, caressed it, looked at it for a few moments and then put it back, eyes falling half-lidded. This could as well be the last time… if anything, he’d be reunited with Red in the afterlife, were things to go horribly wrong. Would he be received with open arms or a scowl, ‘you were not supposed to die so early, you were young’? The picture was almost amusing, in a dark kind of way. He could not help smiling at the thought, a sad little smile, but then he shook his head, put his memories of his deceased caretaker aside, and focused on the present—the two men that were the most important to him now.

   “What happened?” X inquired, noticing the other male’s more somber aura and feeling like he missed something in the few minutes he was away.

   “I am going on a mission.” Axl replied, approaching the two. “Have to prepare myself for it, right? I might be out for a while, so I went to say goodbye to my stuff.”

   “The spying mission? You’re going so soon?” There was a nod in response, and the blue Hunter looked down, “I see…”

   “Hey, don’t look so down.” The auburn-haired Reploid had to almost laugh at himself for that; really, he was trying to convince himself more than the other male here. “It might take some time, but I’ll be back to annoy everyone with my presence when it ends. Who knows, maybe in two weeks at most, you and Zero will be barging into Heidi headquarters with really powerful spells and end their schemes in a heartbeat. And I’ll be there to greet you and take you back home.”

   “You don’t annoy us, don’t say such things.” It looked like X was about to pout. He held Zero even tighter. “I hope that’ll be what happens… I don’t want you to stay in that place any longer than you absolutely have to. It’s not fair. We’ll be here in safety learning magic while you’ll be out practically in a battlefield all the time. But there is no stopping you anymore, is there?” He sighed, slowly nuzzled the top of Zero’s head, pensive. After a minute, he said, “Axl, you’ve changed.”

   That made the younger pipe up. “I have?”

   “Just look at you.” The brunet gave him a once-over, “Back when we met you, you were just a young, cocky Reploid who was not even sure what you had to do to make things right, and you were off doing your own things without thinking too heavily about them beforehand. And now… here you are, ready to delve into a highly dangerous mission that you suggested yourself, because you know the works that must be done for us to take down Heidi. And you did not back down, you’re not backing down, and this time it’s not recklessness, like it would have been when we started watching over you. It’s courage, it’s strength, it’s valour—it is selflessness from a heart that knows the future of the world is more important than one’s own life. Still… do everything so that same life does not end here, alright? You’ve got so much more to live.” He gave him a smile, an adorable, but knowing smile. “I’m proud of you, Axl.”

   Once more, Axl was rendered speechless. At first, there had been anxiety—but an expectation kind of anxiety. And now, warmth was spreading through his insides, making him feel content, welcomed. It was a different kind of feeling from just flattery; it was… acceptance. Receiving affection, and acceptance. A vestige of a feeling of wanting to be commended for a good work from his mentors, but also now something more, the result of receiving love. He wanted to be loved by X and Zero, as a comrade, as a friend, maybe as something more. And being informed that X was proud of him, the both of them were proud of him and might even see him as an equal now, was just too great to be true. He was pretty sure all those sudden emotions he felt were swirling in his verdant eyes, and he flushed, not sure if he wanted the other male to see this new development. “X…  I…”

   “You don’t need to say anything.” The blue Hunter said, softly, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. “Go, do what must be done. Me and Zero will be waiting for you.”

   And then, a content, wider smile drew itself on Axl’s lips, and he rushed to the door, but not before looking behind at the other two. He grabbed his guns, spun them in hands, and pointed one skyward, right next to his face. “I’ll be back. Don’t have too much fun without me.” He gave a playful grin, and left towards an indecisive future.


	5. Awakening - Opening Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero awakens, and Axl begins his mission with uncertain thoughts; not about the mission itself, but something else.

   It took a few hours for Zero to wake up, shifting ever so slightly in X’s hold. His whole body was… tingling, somewhat, as if recovering from prolonged numbness. His breathing, before deep and slow, was now speeding up slightly with the awareness of being awake, and he willed his eyes to open, slowly to readjust to the light. He felt warmth on his side, and smiled before he even saw a glimpse of blue armour, knowing it was X cradling him. “X…”

   “Zero, do you feel alright? No dizziness, no pain?” X looked down at his rousing lover, wanting to know right away if everything was as alright as it seemed. He’d tried to feel tranquil all this time, alone with his thoughts while waiting for his lover to wake up, and had attempted to not think about if the other would never wake up, and if Axl was going to fail the mission in the beginning. No, Zero was breathing, alive on his lap, and Axl was tough and smart, he would never get himself caught so easily. So he’d been lulled to peaceful thoughts as he felt the light motion against him all these hours, remembering the time they all spent together and wondering about future events, when Axl came back. Perhaps, it’d be soon.

   “I’m… okay…” The blond took in a deep breath, and it made him feel alive. “Just… it does feel like I’ve had an entire change of body between then and now…” And though it did feel like he’d been born anew, at the same time, it also felt like nothing was very different physically. It was not as if he could feel his insides—at least, not now. His sensorial perceptions were the same, so his view of the world was the same, his contact with the outside was the same, and he could not feel inside, aside from a beating heart, so everything felt technically the same. If he’d woken up as a Reploid just now, he was pretty sure he’d be feeling the exact same thing; born anew, but not too many perceptive changes. It was… weird to explain, now that he thought about it, so he corrected himself, “I mean… Everything feels the same, it’s more like, when a snake sheds its skin. It feels new, but everything was mostly left untouched. Do you understand what I mean? I’m mostly blabbering now…”

   “No, it’s alright, I understand.” The blue Hunter shook his head, smiling in relief. Nothing had changed; this was still his Zero. “Can you stand? Alia brought some clothes for you, so I put them on you so you don’t catch a cold. She also told me to tell you a few things…”

   “I think I can…” Zero flexed his fingers, aquamarine eyes now open and looking up at X. He then made to sit up, slowly, as he’d apparently been on the same position for a long time, and shifted off the other’s lap and onto the bench. “I gather that my armour did not survive the transformation?” It was likely, considering the armour was also part of him. And shifting made him realize that there was… something… between his legs. “…Did one of the things she said have anything to do with my crotch, or are these just clothes?”

   “Your helmet survived, it’s on the main room, I forgot to pick it up. I think they’ll make new armour for you, almost like the one you had. And uh…” X hesitated, clasping his hands together on his lap. “Actually… here, let me just take you to her, we should let everyone know you’re okay first. Maybe she’ll end up telling you stuff herself.” He grasped Zero’s hand, walking with him to the main communication room.

   Everyone’s reactions were more or less the same as X’s; relief. Zero was up and walking, and his stance showed how he hadn’t changed. He felt a little inadequate without armour, but he’d have to get used to it while the new one wasn’t ready. As long as he did not have to join any battles in the next few days, it wouldn’t be a problem to be so feebly exposed, right? Besides, he could still wield the Z-Saber without any problems, so though his defense was a little precarious now, his attack power definitely wasn’t.

   Alia paused her work to move up to the blond and do what she’d been meaning to ever since he became a human; check his heart beat, his pulse, breathing pattern. “I’m so glad you’re awake and seemingly well. Please say something so I can check your airways.”

   Zero paused, staring at her, and then he put a hand on his hip. “Working as always, Alia. I thought you’d be happier in seeing me.” It was a light tease, but he couldn’t help his quip after the first thing someone said to him after getting into the main room was ‘please say something so I can check your airways’. His voice also had not changed, being the same deep, smooth tone as before.

   “Well, you seem to be in perfect condition.” She felt like playfully sticking her tongue out at his quip, but crossed her arms instead. “Be happy we did not bring you to a hospital for an internal scan. But you’ll have to eat and sleep properly, or we’ll have to bring someone over the next few days to check up on you. It is very important that you get your rest and nutrients, so forgive me, but if X doesn’t learn the ways of food, I’ll have to be the one to fuss over your health.”

   “Someone will need to supervise what I ingest, because I honestly barely know anything about food and meal times.” The red Hunter confessed, agreeing with her. “Thank you for looking out for me, Alia. I guess all of you will have to put up with me needing those basic human things now. Have you thought of how we will acquire food while I was unconscious?... For how long have I been out, anyway?” He placed a hand on his face, pressing it a little as if forcing himself to keep awake, and then brushing it across his hair. Only now had he wondered about it. Had X been holding him this entire time?

   “It’s almost 11 p.m. now. We were starting to get worried about you, Zero…” Layer responded, “Well, I was thinking of buying foodstuff for you to bring here, but currently we have nothing to cook with. We’d have to find somewhere to store the food, and a kitchen would be better than getting ready food every day, which would be more worksome. But then we’d have to… make-do with the rooms we have, or build a kitchen.”

   “Has it really been that long?... I’m sorry for worrying you.” The blond sighed, and X caressed his arm; he took his hand in reciprocation, squeezing it as a form of conveying gratefulness for all the time his lover spent simply cradling him, waiting for him to wake up. He really was a sweetheart, and he tried to show his thoughts through his gem-like eyes while looking at X, before he turned back to the navigators. “We don’t need to do anything too drastic just for me to eat. I’m not… it’s not worth it.”

   “Eating well is very, very important, Zero, and I’ll take from my own pocket to build a kitchen if that’s what it takes for you to eat properly.” Alia huffed. “Besides, there are no washrooms here, either, so we’d have to build something anyway. Unless we use chamberpots… it’s an older than millennia custom, though, and I don’t know which one would be more difficult to manage. Personally, building a washroom, and a kitchen, sounds less troublesome for me. We will have to make do until they’re ready, but it’ll be worth the wait.”

   “A washroom… you mean, to wash myself?” Zero blinked. “It makes sense, considering how a human’s biological body works, but…”

   “Alia, Alia, I finished the resume about how humans work, they can read it now if they want to.” Layer interrupted, before the older blonde navigator could become more tired with explaining things. “Pallette could not finish it because she had to navigate Axl, so I added a few more things, but I’m pretty sure she even put videos on it…”

   “She put videos on it.” Alia repeated, face blank. “Just make sure they watch whatever those are in another computer.”

   “How is Axl?” X inquired, not knowing the younger male’s mission status; if he was already in Heidi headquarters, if he was on his way still.

   “Pallette is navigating him right n—”

   “Hold on, hold on.” The navigator in question exclaimed, standing up from her chair. “What do you mean, the train is leaving right now, Axl? Are you sure it’s vessel A04-T687? It’s only eleven p.m.! That’s one hour before the scheduled hour of departure!”

   Very far away from Maverick Hunters headquarters, in the industrial district, Axl was hidden between crates and the wall, on the train station, right next to the rails. He’d parked the hover bike at a reasonable distance from the station, and stealthily sneaked his way inside, especially when he was informed he’d entered the watched zone of the Heidi suppliers. He’d searched for the train, and when he found the right one—A04-T687—, he “created” a hiding spot with the nearby crates, thankful that this was a train station for goods and merchandise, so there were lots of them lying around, and less people that could see him. It was in this spot that he spent a few tense hours hiding in, waiting for the time of departure so that he could infiltrate the train and transform right away. Were his powers longer-lasting, he could have gotten into the train since the start, but since they weren’t, he had to shorten the time spent transformed as much as possible. Waiting around in the same spot was making him restless, though, and he kind of felt like the water system inside of him was dysregulating, since he felt a need to… to…

   Wait… was the train moving?

   He jumped a little, startled out of his reverie, and checked the station clock; 11 p.m. It couldn’t be broken, could it? Immediately, he communicated the situation to Pallette, and indeed the train was moving, and he’d have to hop onto it fast. “Yes, I am sure it’s the right vessel, and it is departing right now. I think they might have felt suspicious, so they changed the time of departure. I have to get in.” He then groaned, stood up, and looked around, checking for anyone that might see him as he tried to infiltrate the train.

   “Be careful, Axl! Don’t let them see you, and try your best to not knock anyone out. It would raise suspicion, and KO is temporary, so they’d still be witnesses after waking up. I’m rooting for you…” Pallette said over the transmitter.

   The male was already running, and he jumped on top of one of the train’s compartments, activating his leg jets briefly before landing so he would not make a sound as he did. The train was speeding up, and from here, he would be exposed, so he had to find a way to get in. From his previous scanning of the vessel before he nestled in his hiding spot, he knew the inhabited compartments had doors on the sides, and he was on a cargo compartment, so he’d have to make his way to the front. He half ran, half hovered across the cars, hoping he’d make it before the train sped up to levels where he would not be able to do anything but lie flat and attach himself to the metal roof. He had to work fast; as soon as he reached a civilian car, he leaned on its side and retrieved from himself a laser needle, designed to cut simple locks. Focusing on the task and in not falling from the speeding train, the rushing gelid night air engulfing his frame and making him shiver a little violently, he was happy to see that the laser device worked and the door could be opened. Reaching for the handle, he slid the door to the side and quickly grabbed the edges of the roof, doing a mid-air roll off the train and into the compartment. And then, he immediately slid the door back, panting and retrieving Axl Bullets as he turned around, ready to face anyone present, but there was only a napping Reploid in the corner. This car had seemed civilian on the outside, but maybe it ended up being used as a transition car between the goods and the actual inhabited cars. It was a strike of luck for him, for now, and he gave a moment to himself to relax a little and take a deep breath, but still felt tense, because this ordeal was far from over. No, not at all, it was only the beginning of what would be an entire month of stress—or more, or less, who knows. With not many choices besides transforming into Red, he used the Copy Shot on the napping Reploid, and really, really hoped this was a standard model as opposed to a unique one, or else, it’d be hard to explain himself and act like a separate individual. He could imitate a nobody with a body, but not pretend to be someone else, or at least, he was terrible at it, and did not enjoy doing it.

   With that, he transformed into that person, and really, there was no need for him to even move from this compartment. It’d probably avoid potential trouble, so that was what he would do, stay where he was. And then, when he disembarked, they would think that he had been in the train all along, and that was fine and great, but then he’d have to find a way inside the actual building. According to the information he was given, the train travel until Heidi headquarters would take around twenty minutes, so that meant he could transform again for another half an hour or so after arrival. He hoped it would be enough to find a safe spot, a dwelling and resting ground for when he was not transformed. This was going to be so much _fun_ …

   “Axl, do you read me?” Pallette’s voice came through the transmitter after five minutes or so, and he sighed, feeling a little more relieved to hear someone familiar. He wasn’t alone in this; he had everyone’s support back at headquarters, and they were the reason for him to gather up the will and strength to do everything he was doing right now, and would be doing for a few weeks. He was doing it for them—for the world, too, but especially for them.

   “Yes, I’m here. I was able to get inside the train, I’m already transformed, no issues whatsoever yet. Waiting for arrival to calculate my next steps accordingly. I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise anything.” Indeed, he tried to not think about imminent deactivation at every corner. Who knew what sort of den of monsters Heidi was. It was very unnerving. “Do you have any new information on Heidi that could help me get through?”

   “Well, there are some rumours… but some of them might be facts, according to our researchers. There is also a Heidi Maverick that escaped from there and is not fully functional in regards to mind data, but though sometimes they talk about things that don’t make sense, they have also provided us with some information on how Heidi is like. The organization is searching for this Maverick to destroy them, but they’re under our “protection” now, per se, for interrogation purposes. Let me see—Heidi is comprised of human leaders, soldiers, and Maverick servants and soldiers. The Mavericks do all the basic work the humans don’t want to take care of, like cleaning, cooking, serving, carrying heavy stuff, simple work on the computers like installing programs, organizing files and the sort. They also serve as security guards, and seem to do the rest of the dirty work of retiring any Maverick the humans point a finger at. They seem to be deactivated by the deactivation spell, and then carried to somewhere else to be… reassembled? Maverick parts dumpster? We are not too sure on that regard. Heidi is still a relatively new organization, so staff is still being built up, and they might have some of the latest creations of technology, but not all of them. Take advantage of that. We suspect that their leader is the disappeared daughter of a famous deceased scientist. We won’t be able to know for sure until they make themselves known or you discover who they are. The data you gather will be essential to aid us in the fight against Heidi, and it can also change the view the world has on them. Information is power.”

   “I see… Thank you so much for this information, Pallette.” He stored all of this report carefully, as he would be needing all he could know soon.

   “No problem, Axl. All we really want is for you to return safely. We’ll keep interrogating the Maverick, but it could take a while for them to answer with anything useful. Please try to survive until then.”

   “I’ll do my best.” He reassured, and looked out the window to see if he could spot any “suspicious” building approaching. There was nothing relatively nearby, only shadows in the distance, grassy fields, and the ever present skies. The sky was almost clear, a few streaks of silver in a sea of darkness with glimmering stars. It reminded him of the orbital elevator, reaching towards the moon, and the ascent they had to do to fight Sigma and, unexpectedly, Lumine. The whole ascent, it had been the three of them – him, X, and Zero – bonding, talking about stuff even though they had to stop to fight Reploids every now and then, even though they knew they were about to face something great, and he guessed that this was what was so beautiful about their relationship. They were so casual together now, and they fought together, faced some of the same dangers and problems together. They were casual _while_ fighting together, so he knew they probably could grow no closer than this. Except… the kisses, the romantic touches—he hadn’t managed to become a part of that yet. And… it had been so hard to see until now, but, he wanted to. He wanted to become a part of it, become a part of _them_ —grow closer than it was thought possible, closer than they already were. The reckless youth that had fanboyed over the two Hunters in his early years was no more. He’d grown inside, he’d matured, he’d seen everything with them, and mentor/student relationship became friendship, and now… he was ready for the next step. He’d changed, and Zero and X were able to see it, so he hoped that they would understand what he felt. He hoped… he hoped they’d feel the same. Could that be possible? Could two people who seemed to complete each other even want a third one in their relationship? Especially after they’d been together for so long, and he was a relatively new Maverick Hunter. It just seemed hopeless—but what did that kiss on the cheek by X mean? Was it only friendly affection, like the cuddles they’d sometimes shared? Somehow, it had felt… different. His words had felt different. The way he’d said it, ‘I’m proud of you, Axl’. It seemed like an invitation, an invitation to become equal, but in which ways?

   They were almost arriving. “Hey… Pallette.” He called over, softly, not even noticing at first that he’d returned to his normal form. His eyes were half-lidded. “How is Zero?”

   “Oh, Zero? He woke up less than an hour ago, he’s okay. Him and X heard about the train departing earlier, they were worried about you. Now they’re reading over the resume about humans in a laptop; they didn’t want to use the computer on the resting room, because they wanted to hear news from you, if you were going to get settled in Heidi okay. We are all here awake, ready to receive info from you and to know you’re going to be fine there. Even when we go to sleep, our transmitters will be connected to yours and you can contact any of us at any time, okay? Your well-being is our priority.” She helpfully applied, wanting to make him feel comfortable as much as possible in his situation.

   “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I’ll keep that in mind.” Axl smiled, soft, small, glad Zero was alright, and feeling something in his chest flutter again as she spoke of them being so worried about him they stuck around the main room, even though they didn’t have to.

   The skies were beautiful, and still reminded him of the orbital elevator. Tendrils, black as night, had been the last thing he saw before getting attacked and fainting on the Moon, and bonding on the descent had not been possible, as he was unconscious, but he’d woken at headquarters later in X’s arms, and was informed that this was how he was carried all the way from the Moon.

   He’d been holding him just like he held Zero.


	6. Food Issues - Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plans for their new "house" begins, as well as issues about food. Axl finds a way into Heidi.

   Heidi headquarters was immense, and honestly it looked like a normal research centre or hospital. The lights coming out of the tempered glass windows and lampposts lined around the gardens and train station illuminated the surroundings, aided dimly by the moonlight. There was a round chamber at the bottom, and the ground floor itself probably spanned at least several hundred meters in length, holding up what seemed to be ten or so floors above it. The architecture was quite contemporary, with metalwork, some round edges, smooth surfaces, and the aforementioned tempered glasswork, which was probably built to withstand bullet shots and weak lasers. It was surrounded by high concrete and steel walls on three sides, except the side turned to the station, which was only high fences, exactly what was allowing Axl to describe the place in his head before even reaching the grounds proper. It was built right next to the railway, so they probably had swift acquirement of supplies in mind when choosing the lot. This seemed to make an ambush coming from a train much easier to plan, so he had to inform this to headquarters as soon as he settled down. He’d transformed back into the napping Reploid, and would probably have to carry the goods into Heidi to be able to get in. From then on, he’d have to find a hiding place, Copy Shot a few Mavericks within the building, and then get to know it from the inside. The labs, computer rooms, meeting rooms and resting rooms would be key locations he needed to find, and that would require a lot of information gathering in his part, and finding his way around which Mavericks had the permission to go into which rooms. This would take some time, he was sure. If not for the deactivation spell the humans were equipped with, he might have been strong and skilled enough to gather all the data he needed while knocking out Mavericks and humans in the way, and even killing their leader if necessary. But he was the one in disadvantage here, so he’d have to thread carefully, or risk a fate worse than death. It was an unnerving feeling, to feel so powerless, but no one else could do this but him, or at least, it would take even longer to set up a human spy in Heidi than what he was doing right now. It could have been safer, but it was too late to ponder about that, wasn’t it? He’d have to dive right in, and do his best for his comrades, who were all counting on him.

 

   “Hmm… we can set up the living area here, to the right. It would be a good way to connect to the main communication room in three sides, and then the two of them wouldn’t need to run through the entirety of headquarters to get here. It would also facilitate switching between working and cooking if we cook for them. What do you think, Signas?” In Maverick Hunters headquarters, Alia turned to the commander. “I don’t know about you, but I like having them nearby.”

   “As long as we do not need to uninstall any computers to build the doorway, I am fine with that. It would certainly facilitate Zero’s and X’s access to here, which is very important. What did you say the living area was comprised of?” He was picturing how they’d build the space in his head, but considering the other areas of headquarters, it wouldn’t be too big or costly in comparison.

   “The living area would be comprised of an all-purposes living room attached to a kitchen with a separate—soundproof—bedroom, and a washroom that can be attached to either the living room or bedroom, depending on their preference. My suggestion is also a small infirmary-like section in the living room, because we can’t run to the hospital every time they get wounded. There’d be first-aid kits and smaller healing equipment. Is there anything you two would like to add to your new home?” The navigator turned to Zero and X, who were still engrossed in reading the resume about humans. How much information had Pallette even gathered into that thing, anyway?

   The red Hunter absentmindedly poked at the leather shoes he’d been wearing, also given by Alia’s contact, as he sat cross-legged on the ground, X kneeling beside him. He turned to the inquiring woman as he heard her speak to them. “I don’t even know how a home is supposed to be like.” He stated, not knowing if he should feel saddened by this realization. “Headquarters is my home. You know more about what a human needs than I do. Kitchen to eat, washroom to wash and void, bedroom to sleep, do we need anything else?”

   “The main communication room already has computers connected to the newsfeed and world-wide navigation, so a study would be pointless.” X pointed out. “Maybe… a guestroom, in case another human comes around?” He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “Also, what will we do with the human army we gather? Where will we place them, and how will we feed them?”

   “I’ve been talking with a retired human commander, and he is willing to help us with our cause. He suggested the domed garden area of headquarters to be used for camping by the army. We can get food supplies via truck, which is quick and effective in short distances, we just need to be careful with the amount of transiting vessels to not raise suspicion. That should be after we have twenty or so trainees—we can simply go to the supermarket and buy food until then, since we’ll already have to do it for Zero. The people who showed interest haven’t left their homes yet, but I required them to come by Wednesday, fully prepared, and if they haven’t practiced enough with magic and firearms yet, they will be trained here, with a spellcaster instructor.” Signas replied, nodding and then checking over the computer to see if there were any other messages from his human contacts. “This army, as small or as big as it might get, will be our hope for this war. We’ll treat them well, don’t you worry.”

   “I’ll buy food for Zero while they don’t arrive and while I am not transformed yet.” The blue Hunter offered. “You said the spellcaster instructor would come tomorrow, right? And then Zero will begin his training?”

   “Correct.”

   “I can get by just fine with the Z-Saber, but learning magic wouldn’t hurt.” The blond added, fanning his hair away from his face. “It might be good for self-defense in case they destroy my other energy weapons. And talking about them, when will my armour be ready? Have you already requested them to be made?” It just still felt a little weird to have such plain clothes, and shoes instead of boots. He wanted protection, and something less thin than pants covering up until his knees. The helmet was still alive at least, right by his side, but he didn’t feel the need to wear it yet. And with Axl out there, in a mission, he’d have to keep it close at all times whenever he was not wearing it, in case the other contacted him, as his transmitter was ingrained into his helmet.

   “We have submitted requests for your armour to be made, and it should be ready in three days minimum.” Layer responded. “Until Wednesday, though, you’ll only have those shoes and two changes of clothes. I’m sorry.”

   “He’ll be fine, it’s just a few days after all.” X shimmied a little closer to Zero, as if offering bodily warmth the clothes couldn’t provide. “Are you hungry yet?”

   “How do I know when I am hungry?” The red Hunter deadpanned, “I’m not feeling anything yet.”

   “I’ve heard it is like the feeling of a void in your stomach, and you will feel like eating.” Alia explained. “I’m just worried about feeding you so soon after you just woke up after being transformed, but still we should get some food and have it available just in case. And water, you need to drink water. You should do it right now, as a matter of fact—I’ll get you a glass.” She started walking towards the entrance, but then halted before she could open the door. “I know that it is nearly midnight, but there is a 24-hour supermarket in the city, if you and X want to look around for foodstuff. Buying a microwave while the kitchen is not built yet would also be good—oh, you can even eat out at a restaurant if looking at food will make you hungry. I’ll get your water first, but I’ll come back and ask about your house, because I’ll try to call the architects while you guys go out. Be back soon!” And then, she disappeared out the door.

   It seemed like no one would sleep early tonight; with Axl’s first mission at Heidi, everyone was on edge, and they might as well accomplish more trying to sort their new situation out than trying to sleep. Zero and X wouldn’t mind going out to buy stuff, even at this hour, because they wanted to be sure Axl would be properly settled down before resting. Besides, that’s how their new life would apparently be; learning how to go to the supermarket and buy food and eat. Practicing this now wouldn’t hurt. Zero had no idea how the new experience of taste would be like, so he hoped he’d be able to start suddenly stomaching food, because he’d never done that before. If he was picky about it, he would start hating everything he ate for sure and that’d be the end of him, so he needed to have an open mind and try everything out, hopefully getting more used to the healthier foodstuffs, whatever those were. According to the resume, grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, mainly. He didn’t know which was which, save for a picture of an apple, lettuce and a potato, so he hoped the navigators would give him some sort of guide—if they had to literally navigate him through the supermarket, he was sure it would be one of the most embarrassing experiences of his life. Just a guide would be fine, a food list with clickable information on each foodstuff. If anyone was even awake at this hour, he’d get strange looks, but it was completely understandable, as a Reploid who was just turned into a human. He still must be one of the first ones who this ever happened to, so they wouldn’t understand, but all he needed was to take the food, pay for it and leave. Simple. And then, X would start learning about food too, so when he had to eat them himself, it would be less embarrassing than Zero’s first experience.

   “Layer, can you give us a food guide for us to bring to the supermarket?” The blond requested, looking up at her. “I’ll have no idea of what is best for me to eat. Even with the guide that might be the case, but it would certainly help.” And even if he didn’t care about his own nutrition much, he would definitely care about X’s, and needed the information to fuss over him.

   “Oh… sure, I’ll bring up a food guide right away and put it over on a tablet for you.” The navigator in question went ahead to do just that, getting happier inside because she got a direct request from Zero. “I’ll also add some meals that can be done with some of the ingredients and which foods are microwavable. If you go by hover bike, which I recommend so you don’t carry a lot of heavy bags and a microwave on your hands, pick the ones with a compartment on the back to put them inside.”

   “Thank you, I think we’ll do that.” Zero nodded, and then Alia came in with the glassful of water.

   “Okay, so, will you want the bathroom linked to the living room, or your bedroom?” She inquired, bending down to give Zero the glass.

   The red Hunter thanked her, and as he drank some (nothing he hadn’t done before as a Reploid), he looked at X, as if asking for his opinion. The water refreshed him, and was his first ingestion in a biological body. Let his life as a human begin.

   “Well…” The brunet started, then checked back on the resume again (which they hadn’t finished reading). “If he is going to void at least three times a day, wouldn’t it be better to have it close, in the bedroom? Besides, it’s something more… intimate, as you said.” He paused, wondering about everything that could be done in a bathroom. “Like showering. Those doors can be locked, I presume?”

   “Yes, they can, and good point. You’re catching up quickly.” Alia smiled, making a mental note of this decision. “What about your beds? Do you want two single beds or one double bed?”

   At this question, the couple shared a glance. Zero then decided to voice both their questions, “What is the difference between them?”

   “A single bed fits only one person, so you’d need two of them. A double bed is a bigger bed, like the size of two single beds combined or bigger, and two people, or more, fit in it, depending on the size. You’d only need one, and you’d sleep together.” The navigator applied. “There are also bunk beds, which is one bed on top of the other, but I think they’re unnecessary, since we will have enough space in your bedroom for two normal single beds, or a double bed, maybe even enough for two double beds, but that would be exaggerating and wasting too much bedroom space with beds. It’s your call, though.”

   The two warriors took some time to think, but their thoughts did not stray too far from one another. They’ve always wanted to sleep together, something that could not usually be done due to how resting capsules worked, so a double bed would definitely be a yes. About the size of that bed, though—it had to be enough for cuddles, and though they were just in the beginning of the reproduction section of the resume, apparently this… this “sex” thing required space, was usually done on beds, and was the only way of naturally reproducing. It seemed to have a similar idea of intimate touches that they explored a little as Reploids, where their crotches seemed to be more sensitive than the rest of their bodies. So they’d need privacy, and space, and of course, their thoughts drifted on Axl before too long. It was just starting to become something more, but they’d invite him to cuddle and sleep with them, and even if he couldn’t have this “sex” thing as a Reploid, they’d make sure to touch him in a way that felt good.

   Thinking about each other – and Axl – sexually made a flush rise to colour their cheeks, and Zero felt a little tingle run down his penis, certainly a new feeling he’d have to think about later. It distracted him more than X, so the latter was the one to answer, “U-um… can it be a double bed big enough to fit three people?”

   Honestly, Alia had been expecting them to request a bigger bed, especially if they’d already read about reproduction, but she wasn’t ready for it to be described that way. Big enough for three people? Were they thinking of… Axl? Oh, my. W-well, she _had_ seen them cuddling before, they were pretty close, but did they mean to only cuddle and sleep with him or something else? Judging by the blush on their cheeks… oh my, oh my. She was probably getting even filthier thoughts than they, and had to fight a blush of her own. Well if this wasn’t a new turn of events—Pallette could join hers and Layer’s club at this rate. “Er, of course, of course. I’ll make sure to ask for one… And then, we can go furniture shopping for the other stuff, but that’ll be later. Are you ready to go to the supermarket?” She quickly changed the subject, even though she needed to know whether to put a shower or a bath in the washroom—she’d just ask for both in the end.

   “Here is the guide that you requested.” Layer approached them and offered the tablet, trying her best to hide her blush with her hair; the thoughts she was trying to fight were not safe for work at all. “I-I also put the resume in it, in case you wanted to know more about the digestive system while you were shopping for food.”

   “Thank you, Layer.” The blue Hunter received the tablet, caressing his lover’s arm afterwards.

   Zero took in a deep breath, moving away all the golden waterfall of hair that had fallen on his face and drinking more of the water. “We are ready…” He reached for his helmet, putting it on his head for the first time after transforming, it sliding neatly on his head with his long ponytail sticking out. “We just need to get money. Pallette, please tell Axl that we are free to be contacted at any time. He might want to talk to us.”

   “Understood.” The petite woman replied, still focused on analyzing the data around Heidi headquarters’ location.

   “X, Zero, here.” Signas threw a pouch of money for them to catch, and X caught it. “I think this should be enough for a supermarket trip, plus a microwave. If not, just call me and I’ll go to wherever you are with more money.” He gave them a thumbs up.

   The two nodded, having already stood up after a bit and returning the glass, then they went off the entrance and through the building towards the parking lot.

   The lot was full of specialized trucks, hover cars and hover bikes of all forms, equipped with a variety of things they could need for the missions, or even just a hatch like start-of-the-millennia motorcycle deliveries. They would be taking one or two of those, and though there were not many security devices around the area besides four walls surrounding the lot, the vehicles would only start working after confirming Maverick Hunters “membership” through DNA analysis. There had been attempts, but no one aside from deserters had been able to successfully steal any vehicles from the lot. The Hunters had an at least decent security system.

   “Do we go in only one bike or two?” X asked his partner, stopping on the side of one of them.

   “I miss sharing one bike with you… since this is not a mission, can we do that? I think everything might fit in the compartment just fine.” Zero murmured, right behind the other, allowing his DNA to be briefly scanned by the vehicle to open the hatch and measure the space with his eyes, which was a little difficult in this time of the night as it was so dark.

   “Of course we can. Do I ride or y—” The blue Hunter was interrupted by the blond coaxing him to climb on in the rider’s seat, which he did, and the latter proceeded to close the hatch and hop behind X, wrapping his arms around his torso and nuzzling his right shoulder.

   “Let’s go.”

   They sped through the night, wind rushing on their forms and making Zero’s hair be carried along the breeze. A noticeable change between then and now was how much colder he felt in a situation like this, and he was shivering visibly, an attempt of his body to produce warmth with so much wind. X felt a little less cold, and he could feel his lover’s trembling on his back, so he retrieved a hand from the handlebar to place it over Zero’s own hand on his torso and caress it comfortingly.

   As they approached the city, they slowed down, and the wind was no longer howling in their ears. The streetlights illuminated the roads, and there were still cars around, but noticeably less, and human-run establishments were closed. They’d have to search for the open supermarket. “Zero… do you think Axl will want to be with us?” X asked suddenly, reminiscing about the bedding topic of earlier.

   It took a moment for the blond to respond, if only because he hadn’t been expecting it. “I think he does want to be with us. He is very fond of us, as we are of him. He’s changed, and has become a true Hunter worthy of our name. I think his affections have become more mature, and we are no longer separated by a gap, rather, we are the same now, and it does seem like… he really likes us. He loves us, as we love each other. He might not have realized it yet, though. I reckon he’s still getting used to this feeling of equality between us. And he might see that the both of us are together, and feel insecure. We need to show him that there is no problem at all, invite him to our life. I just regret that we haven’t done it yet, because now he’s in a dangerous mission which he might never return from. If he is retired, I’ll never forgive myself for the amount of time we took to talk to him about it…” He sighed, caressing the other’s abdomen a little. “I hope he’s alright.”

   “Yeah, I do so too…” The brunet was looking around, searching for the market as well as a shop of home appliances, for the microwave. “When you were unconscious, before he left for the mission, I told him that he’d changed, that I was proud of him. I think that might have helped him understand our situation a little more, but who knows, maybe this distance will make him realize how important we are to him?” It was a possibility, but still he’d wished this distance had never happened, and that the other wasn’t off in a risky mission. “I want to contact him, if he doesn’t contact us. It’s kind of unnerving that he might be gone any second now. Hearing his voice again will put me more at ease.”

   “I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye, I feel rotten.” Zero confessed. “Honestly, I didn’t think this mission was going to happen so soon, nor was I expecting to be out for hours on end after transformation. This was the worst possible luck I could ever have gotten, aside from the transformation not working and killing me. I need to talk to him and apologize, so I might do the same as you.”

   They stopped by a building that seemed to be a supermarket, for all intents and purposes, but their minds still hadn’t quite shifted from their partner off in Heidi. Parking the hover bike by the entrance, they hopped off and Zero retrieved the food guide, already reading off some of the information. “As far as I know, I can eat everything that is labeled as food, but some of them need to be prepared or cooked first. They said to look for stuff that is microwavable… and this appliance that fries stuff with hot air. I can see us stopping by everything to read about it; this might take a while.” He put a hand on his hip, form sagging slightly. “Alia recommended bread as my first food, but also said I could eat at a restaurant if I got hungry now. We’ll see how this goes.”

   Alia had said bread, but the amount of different types of bread was unbelievable. They had no idea which food looked the best or worse to ingest, and though there was a guide on what to avoid when picking fruits and vegetables, they were still slowly learning. Some things were not meant to be eaten as they were, like cake mix, and others were only ingredients, like yeast, and vegetables and eggs had to be washed before eaten or used, and meat came with stuff like fat that had to be removed, and fish could have spines, and some cookies and pastries didn’t quite look like food to them. The blond was already tired of all the fuss that existed with food, but this was his new life, so it was better for him to get used to it. They didn’t need to buy bottled water because headquarters already had water, and Alia suggested fruit juice so he got some, and at least one bottle of soda which as far as he knew was fizzy sugary juice, and the fizziness was apparently added for fun? Humans were weird. Microwavable noodles were apparently quick to make in case of emergencies, so he got some as well. X had tried to pay attention to the percentage of nutrients in each food, but Zero did not currently bother about it, only wanting to get this over with after they likely spent at least half an hour just looking at stuff.

   They paid for the food (they didn’t get that much, honestly, since they lacked a proper kitchen to do anything with) and went on to a nearby shop of home appliances, and there were so, so many things they couldn’t buy yet because there was no space for them. They’d reckoned a washing machine was something they’d need and was probably going to be placed next to the kitchen in their living area, but for now they couldn’t acquire it, so they only got what they had come to get, a microwave and an object that seemed to be able to fry with high-velocity air currents, whatever its name was. They fit inside the hover bike compartment just so, and this time, Zero piloted the bike while X held onto him. The former was a little hungry by the time they parked on headquarters (was this hunger? It felt so… weird), and offhandedly mentioned it to his lover, who just suggested they start with bread when they had put everything away. And carrying everything to the main communication room was a little hard, but they managed.

   “How was the trip?” Alia immediately got to their bags when they entered, helping them carry them to the far corner, close to where Axl had been sitting earlier and where they’d place the door to the living area. She went through everything they bought, a little confused by some of the choices but overall satisfied.

   “We looked through nearly everything but bought only what you see.” The red Hunter mumbled, separating the bread and reading about its contents on the label while breathing hot air onto his freezing hands to warm them up.

   “There were so many home appliances… are we going to need all those in our home?” X inquired, not even knowing if all of them would fit in a living area that was not supposed to be big in the first place.

   “They’re not all necessary, no, but in your house you will need a bed, a toilet, a sink, a bath or a shower, an oven, and a washing machine for sure. Dishwashers and etc. are optional, but they’re faster. Washing machines used to be optional, but then you’d have to choose between going on a mission or spend an entire day doing laundry outside, so yeah.” The navigator separated all the foods in the corner, taking the boxed microwave so she could plug on the table in the same corner as well. “Oh, I’m sorry, Zero, it must have been freezing cold outside. You might catch a cold after this… I think I might get you gloves before your armour arrives.” She noted, a little sadly. “Are you hungry yet?”

   “Catching a cold would be a great turning-into-a-human gift, for sure.” The blond commented dryly. “I think I am, I’m feeling a bit like what you described, and you suggested bread as my first food, so…” He waved the sack of bread a little.

   “Okay, great, so open it and eat one by itself, then you can add butter and see how it’s like.” She took no time in installing the microwave, and placed the instruction manual on the table in case anyone wanted to read it. “I already called the architects and went over the generals of the house while you two were out. Douglas said he’d help, too. The good news is that everything might get ready in a month, so we’ll just have to make do until then.”

   Zero stared at the sack of bread for a few moments, then opened it after quickly figuring out how to do it, and would have gotten the first piece of sliced white bread on top if Alia hadn’t said ‘nuh-uh’ when he reached for it. “What’s wrong?”

   “It’s kind of dumb, I’m sorry for pointing out something kind of trivial, but can you see how the first piece has a crust on one of its surfaces, while the rest of the slices don’t? Well, humans usually leave that piece for last, because the crust actually protects the rest of the sack of bread. It’s weird, in a way, and such a little detail that I literally had never thought about it until I had to share a room with a human once, and asked him about it. Just thought I would teach you about that, and who knows, maybe that’ll make the bread last for longer.” She explained.

   “…” The red Hunter was simply mute for a few moments, but got out the second piece on top regardless, leaving the first piece alone. Before anything else could be said, he bit onto the bread, pearly white teeth, fangs a little sharp, showing for a moment, something he’d inherited from his life as a Reploid who never ate. He munched on it, as advised, and this was really the first time he’d ever tasted anything. Honestly, he’d expected a stronger feeling, so he was relieved it wasn’t that strong, at least from this bread, but it was new regardless. Not bad, nothing he’d refuse to eat.

   “How is it?” X watched him eat curiously, at the same time a little worried. “I hope you won’t get sick from eating this…”

   “I expected tastes to be stronger to me, but this one isn’t very strong. I like that it isn’t.” Zero replied, eating the rest, and wondering how much his stomach required to not be hungry anymore.

   “It’s just bread, so he shouldn’t get sick, but in case he does, it’s hospital right away.” Alia pointed out. “It’ll be a test of whether his insides were replicated perfectly or not. How about you put butter on the bread right now? Use the knife of the plastic utensils you got. Butter is a spread, in general, so you spread it on the bread with the knife.” She then went on to grab the bag with the utensils herself, opening it and retrieving a knife. “Plastic knives are pretty bad to cut with, but they spread just fine.” She got the butter, too, and removed the plastic film covering the top, putting everything close to Zero. “We’ll need a new trashcan for organics…” She inspected the closest bin for papers, and when she saw nothing inside, she dragged it closer to the corner. “This will be our organic trash for now, for the rest of the food you don’t eat.” She then threw the plastic film inside.

   Butter seemed to be so… different. The blond got some on the knife, and took in its scent, not knowing what to expect. He then spread it on the bread, covering only the centre, because he was not sure if he was supposed to cover the entire bread with it. “Is this okay?”

   “You could cover the entire bread with it, but since it’s your first time, I find that to be an even better idea. Go ahead and try it.” Alia gave a single nod, getting the other boxed apparel to install it as well.

   Zero bit the edge, munched, then bit the edge of the centre, and the taste was… was that what the resume described as salty? It tasted salty. A much stronger taste, compared to bread, and he couldn’t help making a slight face.

   “What’s wrong?” The blue Hunter blinked, switching his focus between reading the labels of the foods and watching his partner.

   “Is this salty? Is butter what you call salty? Because it is salty. A stronger taste. I’ll definitely have to get used to this.” The taller male ate the rest of the bread slowly, and truthfully, he’d been expecting this, not liking tasting stuff for the first time but he’d likely have to eat them many times over to get used to it, either that or face starvation for not eating anything because he didn’t like the taste. “It’ll be new experiences one after the other. I think I want water. How much will I have to eat to not feel hungry anymore?” Hunger seemed like a curse, because it’d make him feel like eating when in reality he didn’t feel like eating. At least he couldn’t imagine himself eating a lot of buttered bread without lots of water to go with it.

   “I’ll go get your water right away.” Layer stood up to do just that, bowing quickly before she left the room.

   “Get a few bottles if you could!” Alia exclaimed after her, and then turned to the blond. “I think either three more breads will be okay, or you can eat something else, but not an entire meal after two breads. Small instantaneous noodles or a banana would be good, too. You’ll probably want to stop eating the banana right away though, just as a warning, it has a slightly bitter taste, but I trust that you’ll get used to it eventually if you force yourself to eat.”

   Zero sighed, the stress from food piling up—and Axl still hadn’t contacted them.

   As if on cue, just as Layer came back with water, a familiar voice sounded from all their transmitters; “Maverick Hunters headquarters, do you read me?”

   “Axl!” X and Pallette almost squeaked, in unison.

   “I’m so glad you’re safe! Is everything alright?” The petite navigator proceeded to ask, and just as with her, a considerable weight was lifted off everyone’s shoulders.

   “Yeah, heh, I’m alive and whole. I couldn’t get really deep inside here, though, because I spent so much time getting general information out of the Reploids and Mavericks carrying goods around that I couldn’t go any farther. I’m in the storage room; I made a little hiding place out of crates in the back. This is where all of the stuff that was on the train ended up in. According to them, at least half this stuff is food, there is a lot of cleaning supplies, and also five resting capsules. Nothing out of the ordinary yet, or at least none of them talked about anything suspicious. I checked the labels of some boxes, the most unusual items were syringes, test tubes, laboratorial alcohol, and base chips for Reploid-making. They probably have scientists, so that’d make sense, but are they making their own Mavericks? Sounds kind of hypocritical from an organization that wants to retire all Reploids, if you ask me, but it’s not much better that they’re using them as slaves. History repeats itself… am I blabbering? I’m sorry, I’m so exhausted…” Indeed, his breath was quite audible through the transmitter.

   “If you think you’re safe enough in the storage room, please go to sleep as soon as you can.” Zero told him, feeling a twinge of pain in his heart for the other’s situation. “Discover the rest of the base at your own pace.”

   “Zero? Are you alright, did the transformation go well? Did you eat?” Despite his own tired limbs, the younger Reploid piped up at the blond’s voice.

   Even in that situation, it was him who he was worried about… the red Hunter sighed; so selfless. “Yes, I’m okay, I already ate some. We are going to see if my insides are working well soon. Please don’t worry about me, focus on staying alive over there. I’m… I’m sorry I wasn’t awake to see you off. I’m really sorry, please do your best to come back to us when the time comes, or else the guilt will weigh over my shoulders all my life.”

   There was a pause, and then, “Oh, Zero, you don’t need to feel bad about that. It was just work calling, there was nothing any of us could do about it. Just… just hearing your voice right now is enough for me, it gives me strength. I already miss headquarters, miss you, and you too, X.”

   “Is he talking to you?” Pallette whispered, since there were no more signals going through her transmitter; apparently Axl had briefly changed the settings to talk more privately.

   X nodded; it seemed like only him and Zero could listen to him now. “I miss you too, Axl, but a mission is a mission, so don’t try to rush through it too much, okay? We’ll see each other again at the end of it. Depending on the information you get, you can come back to us within a week, even. I’m sure that only your first day was already very important for us, data-wise. Try to get some rest now.”

   In the storage of Heidi headquarters, Axl was with a hand on his ear to better hear the transmitter, the other weakly holding his head to fight an incoming headache. “I’ll try to sleep, I feel really uncomfortable and exposed here, but I guess I can’t complain… my tiredness will probably make me faint if I don’t sleep, anyway.” That was probably how the next days would be; transform until he was out of energy, then kind of pass out in a (hopefully) safe place. Which would have to be the storage room if he couldn’t find anywhere else. If only he could transform for longer than one hour, this problem wouldn’t be as pressing…

   “Zero… X…” Their names left his mouth before he could stop himself, “I… I…” But then he trailed off, he wasn’t sure whether it was an urge of the moment, if he should go through with this, but he then decided not to, closing his eyes. “It’s nothing… I just miss you, is all. I’m glad I could talk to you.”

   “You sound like you’re passing out already. Please, go to sleep.” X insisted.

   “Will do.” There was a brief little smile on Axl’s lips, and the darkness of the room was enveloping, not comforting, but at least kind to his eyes. And he drifted off to sleep like this, holding onto his ear, lulled by Zero’s and X’s voices echoing in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad with writing about spying, so let's see how the next chapters come along.


	7. A Selfless Choice - The Magic Instructor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axl awakens to something unexpected, Zero and X learn more of human habits, and the spellcaster instructor is introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes nudity, slight bladder desperation, urination and sexual mentions. You can skip all of it from Zero's and X's talk as they wake up, up to them sitting at the café and returning to Maverick Hunters headquarters.

   “Axl… Axl…”

   Red, sacrificing himself after being manipulated by the Professor. Meeting Zero, meeting X, getting into Maverick Hunters headquarters for the first time. Defeating Sigma, defeating Lumine. Black tendrils, pain. An elevator reaching into space, darkness reaching towards infinity, glimmering stars, the Moon soil. Shooting, transforming, returning back to normal. Blinding light, then enveloping darkness, a figure, a shadow of a person sitting next to him, then it was gone. Yells, searchlights, someone running away, and then Red, Red finding him…

   “Axl!”

   He woke up abruptly, verdant eyes wide, rolling onto his back and reaching for Axl Bullets immediately, pointing them at a source of light next to him in mere seconds.

   The small creature had its hands up, trying to show that it was no threat, and it took a few moments for the Reploid to realize it was just like Carbuncle, coming down from his edge and sagging, his occupied hands lowering to the ground. He was panting, and felt heated everywhere, his face was damp, his scar throbbed lightly; that sort of dream, again? At this point, he didn’t know what had woken him up with a start; the dream itself, or the being floating before him.

   “Why… are you here?” He breathed, brushing his fingers against his left eye. At this moment, he was too tense to realize this could have come off as slightly rude, and he didn’t know whether it was good or bad that he had a stranger’s company after waking up. At least it wasn’t someone from Heidi.

   “You were having a… dream, weren’t you?” This elicited a groan from the man, and the little one simply shook its head. “I’m sorry. I think you know why I’m here, though.”

   Considering these beings seemed to know exactly where they were at any given moment in time and Carbuncle had been able to know when Zero had made his choice, it was kind of unnerving to not know the full extent of their powers and omniscience. Had it been able to look into his dreams, too? If so, he felt the urge to ask, who was that figure, who was running away? But it would maybe be best if he never knew that sort of power, so he remained silent about it. “I’m… sorry? I didn’t tell Carbuncle I wanted to become a human, and anyway, I can’t accept the offer. I need my powers to spy on Heidi, isn’t that what you want? And it’s all… it’s all I’m good for.” He lowered his head, then shook it, auburn hair swishing lightly about. “My apologies, but you came here for nothing.”

   “Carbuncle is what you call the youngster we sent to talk to Zero, right?” The creature didn’t seem to be fazed by his decision; it was as if it hadn’t made a difference. “Well, yes, that’s what I came here for, despite you not telling Carbuncle anything. We figured that, it would be great for Zero and X to transform and have a chance against Heidi, considering they’re the most powerful Reploids we know, but then we realized; you’re becoming just as powerful as them.” It chirped, still looking so childish, but seeming much more mature than Carbuncle was. “I don’t agree that your powers are all you’re good for, but you’re right, they’re important, so that’s why we had it in mind as well when we made our decision.”

   The other’s words piqued his interest, and he looked back at it. Which decision could it be? How much did they even know about him? Could it be… could it be that his powers would remain unaltered as he turned into a human?

   “I am pretty sure Carbuncle neglected to tell you, but not all of your powers are altered when you become a human. Zero can still learn combat abilities from enemies, X will still be able to copy powers from them as well, though he’ll need an energy weapon to release them. Those powers will also be available as magic, however. And your DNA-copying powers… they can also be transferred to your human form, but,” It paused, pointing towards the ceiling with a finger, “The transformation will have to occur slowly for us to be really sure it’s going to work. Like a gradual metamorphosis, per se. It means that, just the energy I give in sacrificing myself might not be enough to ensure you’ll retain your powers correctly, so another one of us will have to come along and feed energy into you as you transform. I’m still giving you the decision, though, because the process might be painful, it’ll be gradual, and you might not want to risk your mission because of it. But at the same time, at some point in the change you’ll have become so human the deactivation spell will no longer work on you. And, of course, despite missions and fighting and all that, you might want to stay a Reploid for your own personal reasons.” It allowed a few moments of silence to go by so that would sink in. “I’m requesting the decision to be made now, because your future is uncertain. Anything can happen to you after you leave this room, and I might not be able to show up and contact you wherever you would be. There might be no safety rooms after this—not wanting to terrorize you, I’m just not sure. So it has to be now, where you are relatively safe and can recover from the first push of the transformation. Please think about it carefully, though.”

   Well, this was new; the thing Axl had expected to not be possible ended up being possible, and the decision had to be made here and now. Fortunately, he had thought about it, despite his doubts, so it would not take him really long to decide now. Being human would make spying on Heidi considerably less risky, and if he was able to retain his powers, that’d be essential. He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs; a much more casual gesture than his complicated thoughts, for sure. “Will I be able to transform during the transition?”

   “Yes you will, I would believe. You’d still be a little Reploid throughout the whole thing, and we will do the entire gradual process carefully so that you’ll hopefully be able to do so even as human. I trust in our powers, but I don’t want to guarantee anything to you, in case it goes wrong and you come to not trust us anymore. But just adding my opinion, I think it’s a good idea.”

   A good idea… the little human things he’d have to worry about did not bother him, even though he barely knew anything about them, so that’d only leave worrying about his powers, and what X and Zero would think about it. Not a guarantee, but he’d retain his powers as a human, so no problems there, and X and Zero probably wouldn’t mind, right? After all, they had decided turning into humans themselves. If anything, choosing to remain as a Reploid would actually distance himself from them. It would be kind of hard to deal with this transformation while so far away from home, into enemy territory, but he was tough, right? He’d endure the pain, find out how to deal with everything else, and that would be it. If he was human enough by the time someone cast a deactivation spell on him or tried to make him a Maverick, it’d be ineffective, and he would be able to fight. “What about my leg jets, will they work?” And then something crossed his mind, and he frowned. “Will my armour disappear and make me as nude as Zero was?”

   The creature blinked. “Since the process will be gradual, I think you’ll retain your armour, it’ll just become more detached from your body. It might be like… “growing” a body underneath it. There would still be energy for your leg jets, but not as much as you usually have, since it won’t take energy from your entire body anymore. You will have Mist inside of you, no longer electrical energy. And that explained why you won’t be naked, unless you choose to remove your armour, of course.”

   “Then… I think it’s settled.” He nodded. “I want to be able to fight Heidi. I want to not possibly become a Maverick. I don’t want to circle around the building like a fearful ferret anymore, I don’t want my possible discovery to be a death sentence.” I want to be like X and Zero, become equal to them. “Whatever it takes, I’m ready. Send your energy over to me.”

   “Right—”

   “Just one more thing.” The Reploid moved his legs, got into a more normal sitting position, legs outstretched. “I want you to have a name, because you’ll sacrifice yourself for this, and in the end, if we defeat Heidi and go down in history, I want all your names to be remembered as heroes. You would have been the ones to make this victory possible.”

   It was either a flush or something else that rose in the shocked features of the little one, cheeks becoming a little more luminescent. “H-heroes?” It stammered, rubbing its paws together, “I… I never thought of it that way… I mean… I don’t mind giving my life for this, but… I… well, you can give me a name, if you… if you want to…” Their species probably had never been regarded as… heroes, before. They were just remembered by individuals for being great magical beings, rarely even received a thanks after sharing some of their power. These Reploids—turned, and who would turn into humans—were simply too kind. Was that where they got their power from? Kindness?

   “Yes, it’s nothing less than you deserve. You have to realize that. Your name shall be… Shivar, if you don’t mind.” He remembered this name from mythology, and thought it sounded fitting for a being of such immense power.

   “I don’t mind. It’s… a good name.” It replied, smiling softly.

   “Okay, I’ll make sure to remember it. I’m ready.” Axl took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and readying himself. “If this doesn’t work, and Heidi retires me… I’ll see you in the afterlife.”

   “I hope we won’t be seeing each other so soon, Axl.” It nodded, then gathered up its Mist and life energy in a single spell, a great light illuminating the room and making the nearby crates tremble, until the spell was released and hit Axl, enveloping him in light, and Shivar started fading away, completely spent. A few more dozen seconds and the glow slowly faded from the Reploid’s form, who fell back unconscious, helmet nearly being knocked off his head with the impact.

 

   A few hours later, X woke up slowly, huddled up to the warmth that was his lover. There was no indication that there was light outside, but it must have been morning already, and he smiled, nuzzling the bit of Zero’s hair that was off his helmet. They were lying down in a corner of the resting room, as it was better than risk falling off a bench, and they had no beds yet, so they had to make do. Well, the blue Hunter could have gone to his own resting capsule to sleep, but he didn’t want to leave the blond alone to sleep on the floor, so he went to sleep with him of his own volition. After Axl had contacted them in the dawn, they had been able to sleep relatively peacefully, and now, it was a new day to look forward to. Maybe Axl would get some more information for them, and Zero would start his magic training with the spellcaster instructor. He could either help with research someway or watch his partner learn, and maybe the latter would be for the best, since he’d have to learn magic when he transformed into a human, too. Carbuncle had said that it could take some time until they decided to send someone, so he wondered when that would be, but once it happened, it would be immediate, right? So he could only wait and learn everything about humans he could, while he wasn’t one, so his experience when becoming would be better.

   Zero had slept with his helmet on because he was used to it, as well as in case of any emergency with Axl. He was fine with being woken up at any time by him, for whatever reason, and he was glad that the most important part of his armour had survived the transformation. It was Monday… so maybe in Wednesday or Thursday the rest of his armour would be ready. He shifted a little in X’s arms, woken up by the slight movement coming from him, and started kissing his neck, prompting a jolt from the other. “Good morning, X.” He breathed onto his skin, deep voice sounding even more guttural than usual as result of just waking up.

   “G-good morning, Zero.” He caressed the red Hunter’s back, drawing circles on it, feeling his insides flutter with the attention paid to him.

   The blond then nuzzled his shoulder, and raised himself up without quite letting go of their embrace, lying on top of X instead and kissing him deeply.

   It was unexpected to the brunet, but he relaxed into the kiss all the same, closing his eyes and getting a hold of the other’s blond locks, brushing them sweetly. He loved Zero’s hair, so, so much; it was luscious and soft and reflected light in all the right places, it looked beautiful as it swished and flew around and accompanied Zero’s movements, and it was so long it nearly touched the floor and was thick and _perfect_. He’d always loved it, and was so happy with the fact that it didn’t change at all after his transformation. It was the same golden waterfall of always.

   The kiss had little to no tongue involvement, it was just deep and loving, and it made their bodies sing. For some reason, the blond’s body was much more reactional now than before, and even being pressed together like this was arousing him just a tiny bit. However, there was no time to pay attention to sexuality, not now, not like this, so he parted the kiss when he simply couldn’t breathe anymore, and held his lover dearly. No words needed to be shared between them now; most of the time, it was easy to know what the other was thinking, and they could spend hours like this, just resting on each other’s arms. But later the spellcaster would come to teach him spells, so they couldn’t just laze about all day. Not even right now, because there was this insistent feeling in his lower abdomen, as if something wanted to leave him…

   “X.” He called, after seven minutes or so of silence, and upon receiving a ‘hmm?’, he proceeded, “Do you think this feeling could be… could be the need to void the resume was talking about?” He frowned, just a little. Actually, when he read about it, he thought he was the one who would be in control of it all, when he went. He hadn’t expected a feeling to actually remind him. It was… pushy.

   “How are you feeling right now?” The brunet shifted to sit up, waiting for Zero to sit on his lap before doing so.

   “It’s… a pressure, in my lower abdomen. An urge to let something out. Liquid, I’m pretty sure. It’s kind of… insistent…” He actually had to counter it with some pressure of his own on his insides, so it wouldn’t end up leaving against his will. “Do we tell Alia about this?”

   “We should, I actually don’t know where to find bathrooms…” X rubbed the back of his head, and the both of them stood up, just a little sore from sleeping on the ground; nothing they hadn’t done before.

   Alia wasn’t in the main communication room yet, so they went back to the resting room to look into the capsules, and eventually found her sleeping in one. The blue Hunter looked at his partner. “Do you think you can… hold it in, was it? Until she wakes up, or…”

   “X, this is my first time.” Zero pointed out, a little physically stiff, “I don’t know if I can, I don’t know how bad it can get. Shouldn’t we heed nature when it warns you of something?” Honestly, he was even a little scared, because it was something about him he seemed to have little control over. It was as if biology dominated him, instead of the opposite. Would this insecurity persist even after a month like this, or would he eventually get used to it, as all humans had? After all, if they managed to go around not caring about voiding needs in the slightest to the point that both warriors had gone their entire lives not knowing about it, they must have gotten used to it.

   “I see.” X nodded, understanding the other’s nervousness, and gently knocked on the capsule, Alia waking up more or less immediately. She took a moment to get used to being awake, and then opened her capsule from the inside, shaking her head for added awareness.

   “What’s wrong?” Her voice was still a little sleepy, but she was ready for work, as always.

   “Zero thinks he needs to… urinate? I read so many new names yesterday, I’m sorry—well, I have no idea where to bring him to besides outside.” He looked down, as if ashamed of his lack of knowledge, and rubbed the back of his head again.

   “Does he?” She looked the human in question up and down, and the only thing that tipped her off to how he felt was how tense he was. “Well, can you hold in for a little longer until we reach the city? I should have thought about this before… It would be kind of exhausting to go to the city back and forth every day. We might need a chamberpot while we don’t have any toilets. I’ll get him to an establishment with a bathroom, like a restaurant—X, can you accompany us? I might want you to watch him to see if everything is okay, and he feels more comfortable around you. So let’s go, quickly, get any hover bike—oh man, no place has sold chamberpots for centuries, this kind of stuff only exists in museums. I’ll just buy a simple trashcan, whatever, let’s go.” She hopped off the capsule and closed its lid, rushing to the door, and the other two did the same after her, but not before sharing a look.

   Alia took a hover bike with a compartment, while X and Zero had the same layout as they did when they went off to the supermarket the previous day, with X riding and Zero behind him. The latter’s fingers twitched periodically with need, the cold air rushing against him just seeming to make things worse. The urge spread to the base of his penis, and he took in a shaky sigh, placing his chin on his lover’s shoulder, who proceeded to turn his head to look at him, and took his trembling hand on his own. “We are almost there. I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re feeling.” He mentioned loudly, to be heard over the wind.

   “When this happens to you for the first time, I won’t know whether to laugh or cry.” The blond responded just as loudly, and probably he would just help his partner with it, nothing else. Maybe he would have gotten used to his own condition by then.

   As it was still too early for the restaurants to be open, Alia had to find a café that was open for breakfast. She parked her hover bike and waited for the other two to do the same, entering the establishment as soon as they had their feet on the ground. “Excuse me, miss, but can my friend here use your restroom? If it has stalls, it’d be even better—I think he’ll eat here too, so we are not just using you, I swear.” She explained, and then ushered the other two in, lowering her voice so only they could hear, “I don’t think I have to explain how it works, you’ll see for yourself. Lock the door, and wash your hands afterwards. I don’t think you will, but please don’t do anything sexual inside, okay? It’s a public place, it’ll bring up trouble. I’ll go out and buy a trashcan, so don’t make me come here to watch over you. Here’s the money if you want to eat; it’s breakfast time.” She handed them a few coins. “Of course, if there are any problems, you’re free to call me and I’ll come running, but you’re two grown men, so please.” She said it a little fondly, in a near joking tone, because she knew that turning into a human when one was a fighting Reploid before was really complicated. “I’m going, be safe, okay? Watch if there is any blood on your urine or anything like that. It should look like water, maybe a bit yellowish. Can’t believe I’m explaining this, but oh well.” She then smiled at the woman behind the counter, slipping away and hopping on the hover bike to go out to a shop of homely furniture.

   “I’m sorry for all of this.” Zero said before moving over to where Alia had gestured, X hopping behind him.

   When he got inside, after his lover had gotten in, he leaned against the door and squeezed his crotch, breath coming out in a hiss between his teeth as the urge simply rose. He really hadn’t expected such a seemingly simple thing to feel so _intense_ , it seemed like human bodies really were keen on getting whatever was toxic to them out. But considering the bladder was an organ that stored liquid, it did make sense that it’d send desperate signals if it was full. Organ damage didn’t seem all that pretty.

   X could not help the worry he felt, because he had never seen anything quite like this before. “Is this pain, or…?” He gently touched the red Hunter’s arm, and received a head shake in return.

   “N-no, it’s not—please stop worrying, X. It’s just… need.” His voice was a little strained, and it took him a minute for the wave of desperation to subside enough that he could let go of his lower half. “It really wants out, it’s kind of unnerving. Let’s just do it already.”

   They guessed there wasn’t any customer in the café yet at all, so they chose whatever stall, close to the middle. If they hadn’t briefly read about it in the resume, the first encounter with a toilet would have been much weirder, but at this point, Zero didn’t care as long as he knew how it worked. “Lock the door.” He requested the other, already lowering his pants and underwear until mid-thighs, and still being a little puzzled at the form of his own body. “Can I even move this…? Doesn’t seem to hurt.” He muttered as he raised his penis a bit, a tad plump with the need to urinate. A touch with a fingertip to the tip of the length made him tremble and nearly start releasing, but he held himself back, at least for a little longer until he was ready; he had just been making sure that his slit was indeed there.

   “Do you want some help or are you okay?” X hugged him from behind, placing his head over the blond’s shoulder to watch him.

   “I’m okay… I can do this. Here goes nothing…” Zero held himself carefully, trying to aim somewhat even though he had no idea what gravity would do with the liquid. And he then made a little counter pressure in his bladder, to start urinating, a few dribbles coming out at first and then a thin stream, that slowly grew in size and potency.

   Huh. Everything seemed to be right, there was no red signalizing blood. And now he had an idea of how gravity worked with this. Releasing actually felt… pretty nice. Pleasurable. He leaned against X, releasing a deep breath. “It feels good.”

   “Hm?” The blue Hunter blinked. “Really? Good how?”

   “Like… physical relief. I don’t know if Reploids can even feel this.” He caressed his own length a little, pensive. “Also kind of like… when you touched me on my crotch, before transformation. Desperation kind of felt like that, too. I wonder why… maybe it’s to encourage humans to keep voiding as necessary.”

   “Oh…” X flushed a little. “You look so… cute. I might not understand too much about genitals yet, but yours look adorable. I kind of wanted to squish it.” He confessed, rubbing circles on his partner’s lower abdomen, eliciting a shiver from him that disrupted the urine stream a bit.

   “A-ah… don’t, don’t do that, it feels too nice…” The blond’s bladder sort of spasmed as result of the stimulation, prompting him to gush the pee out. “Alia told us to not start anything here, I don’t know if I would be able to control myself.”

   “I-I’m sorry.” The brunet moved his hands away, resting them under the man’s chest as before. He didn’t know it would feel that good, he was trying to hold himself back from squishing him. They hadn’t gotten an opportunity to explore Zero’s body as it was now yet, and X wanted to. If humans felt more physically than Reploids did, he wanted to make his partner feel great. But they’d have to wait, as they didn’t have much privacy in Maverick Hunters headquarters yet, and magic training would begin today. Maybe later, a month from now, when their home would be finished. And then Axl would have hopefully come back, and he could join them in their exploration. It would be a new experience, to discover what made the younger Reploid moan the loudest, how he acted when sensitive spots were touched. 

   And X shouldn’t be thinking about this now, because he was blushing heavily and his groin was tingling, and they were not meant to do any of that now. Later, later, later, their waiting time would be rewarded. It would give them more time to discover how humans worked, and he would be turned into a human by that point (hopefully), too.

   Zero’s stream was diminishing now, becoming a sliver, and stayed for a few more seconds like this before it became a dribble, and then drops. More instinctively than anything, he squeezed himself to let more drops out, and then shook himself a little as well. “This is… I think I’m done.” He muttered, a little exhilarated, honestly. He was still tingling from that, even as he tucked himself back in his boxers and pants and tried to regain his bearings. There was a little flush on his cheeks he tried to fight back, too.

   “We should… you should wash your hands and see if you want to eat anything. It’s time for breakfast, right?” The blue Hunter was trying to keep his mind off of it, too, focus on more simple things.

   “Sure. We probably still have some time until Alia gets back, too.” The blond went to wash his hands, something that wasn’t new to him, as Reploids washed their hands, too. They were built to handle water just fine, and even need it in their internal systems, so drinking water wasn’t unheard of, too.

   They were able to change the subject inside their minds by the time they got food, and Zero got another type of bread, called croissant, and as simple a milk as the café could get him. Both weren’t bad, the croissant seemed to be… “tastier” than normal slices of white bread were, and the milk was lukewarm, but he figured that it could be drank both cold and hot. He’d never drank anything hot before, only cold and lukewarm water. It would be a new experience for another day. They had chosen a smaller two-person table in the corner to be in.

   X just watched his lover help himself, satisfied that he hadn’t made any ugly faces. Apparently humans were all different when it came to tastes; different people could like and dislike the same food. When he became a human, would he be different from Zero in that aspect? Would he dislike croissant and milk? And what about Axl—would he one day want to become human too, to be just like them?

   “Axl… I think he might desire to turn into a human just like us at some point.” The brunet commented. “Especially now that he’s grown closer to us. I think he wouldn’t want to be different from us. When one of these creatures like Carbuncle comes around to transform me, do you think I should suggest to it that they can go to him, too? But… what would happen to his powers?” He bit his lip.

   “I don’t know if his powers would pass on to his human form, but the choice would be his, so we can suggest to the Carbuncles that they can offer the transformation to him. It might be better for it to happen after the mission, but at the same time, he can choose between sneaking around transformed or do whatever it takes to get information while he can’t be deactivated. If I could, I would storm Heidi and help him right now.” A shrug, and the man sipped the last of his milk. “But we should gather more intelligence before doing anything too straightforward. We don’t know the extent of Heidi’s influential powers.”

   “I wonder when they’ll come to me… If I can’t be deactivated by Heidi anymore, I’ll feel more relaxed. And if Axl can’t either, even better. I do hope he’ll be able to keep his powers though, it’s a great source of pride—and insecurity—to him.” X noted, just as Alia came into the café.

   “I hope so too, it’d kind of shake his foundations to lose them. He was mostly kept around Red Alert because of his abilities, even if Red raised him. Only after becoming a Hunter did he start learning that it wasn’t his powers that mattered, but himself, his overall skills and ideals and just the fact that he _wants_ to help any way he can. We don’t want Reploids to join us as fighting machines, we just want people who are willing to help build a better world for everyone. I think this is one of the reasons Axl has matured so much while with us, but he’s also different from most Reploids, because he has grown his own ideals and opinions even when they didn’t come to them easily. The other Red Alert members stayed, but he didn’t, he realized things had changed by himself, and he left of his own volition. He had an idea of what he wanted to fight for, even if it wasn’t too developed then. Considering his history, it’s actually not that impressive that he’s become the great man he is now, because he always had it in him to reach this point. It’s just… a relief. I am still proud of him, because I had realized he was different from the beginning, but never had cared enough at that point to think he would mature like this. A bit regrettable, yet now everything is fixed and has fallen into its proper place. I no longer don’t care; he is now too important for me to even think about losing him. We thought of turning him back to Red Alert back then, remember? Everything would be different now, if we had let that go through. It’s amazing, how things can change so much in so little time…”

   “When people had told me cafés were usually intellectual places where inspiration and deep conversations would take place, I hadn’t understood them. Now I do.” Alia mentioned, a bit thrown back. They really held Axl close to their hearts. “You got the definition of our work perfectly though, Zero. It’s not about being strong or able to fight or having useful powers, it’s about willingness to make a change in the world for the better. You should do your best so that message really gets across to Axl. You were talking about him becoming human and losing his powers, right? That’ll be even more important for him to know, then, because it’s not at all over if he loses them. He’s still a pretty capable fighter, and can do so many other works for us. I think his passion is going on missions together with you two, though, and I could never take that away from him.” She chuckled. “Too bad you couldn’t go with him… make sure you respond to him any time he calls. After Red Alert, he must be used to this, but still it has been a while since he goes solo on a mission, so he’ll want to talk to you. Oh, and I’ve received a message from headquarters, the instructor is already there. Get your Mist ready, Zero.”

   The two warriors nodded, standing up from their chairs and putting them back in their places. It was a cute café, really, decorated with small food paintings and flowers and had a cozy aura to it, with wooden furniture that made everything feel like it was from before the millennia had started. It was a life they had never known for sure, but they enjoyed this style, and if they could have a say in how their house would look like, they wanted it to look kind of like this.

   “Do we… return the cutlery to the counter?” X asked, unsure.

   “No, we leave it here, the waiters will get them back to the kitchen.” Alia explained, already walking towards the outside of the establishment. “Come on, you should be excited to start learning magic, I know I am, but I can’t watch, I have to keep sending e-mails to all the humans around.”

 

   Back at headquarters, they went separate ways; the navigator went back to the main communication room in order to place the trashcan in the resting room, and then go back to her work, and Zero was called over by Signas while they passed the domed courtyard. X went after him.

   There was a lithe, tan man standing next to the commander, and seemed to be short in comparison to him. He was wearing white robes and a chest plate, and a white headdress that was a mixture of a small white turban with a red gem on the forehead, fanned on the sides and back by white cloth, and a white mouthpiece that covered up to and including his nose. He also wore red gem and gold earrings. Some strands of brown hair poked from beneath the turban, covering some of his forehead and until the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a calm sea blue.

   “Zero, X. Did everything go well while you were out? Alia told me of your little problem, I think she fixed it with what she went out to buy. We’ll see how it goes.” Signas greeted them, and then gestured to the man by his side. “This is your new magic instructor, Zero. He’s naturally talented in the ways of spells, though he focuses a lot on healing spells, and he’s been teaching warriors of peace magic for long years now. He has been following the deeds of us Hunters for a while, but was unsure on how to aid us in our endeavors, as we are Reploids. As soon as I heard of him, though, I contacted him so he could teach you two when you became human. Now it can begin, as Zero is already transformed. Minwu, these are Zero and X, your new students.”

   “It is an honour to finally be able to meet you, Zero, X.” The mage’s voice exuded mature tranquility, an air of experience surrounding him. “I hope you will give me a good home as I teach you. I cannot begin teaching you yet, X, but with Zero, we can begin right away.”

   “I will leave you to your training; I trust none of you will be hostile to the other. There is no need for anyone to keep watch.” Signas smiled, almost chuckling at the questioning expressions on the Hunters’ faces. “I’m not going to baby you. Well, I have to get back to rummaging through contacts to give Alia for her to send recruiting messages to, so I’ll be back later.” And as he said, he walked back towards the main communication room.

   The Hunters had been looking towards Signas’ retreating form, so Zero was startled when suddenly two fingers touched his arm.

   “Apologies for startling you.” Minwu murmured, delicately holding the other’s hand by the wrist and using the same previous two fingers to hover over his entire arm. “I’m merely checking the condition of the Mist inside of you. Admittedly, it’s the first time I have worked with Reploids who have transformed into humans, so I’m not sure what to expect. Nothing seems wrong, though; there could have been more Mist, as a result of passively absorbing it from your surroundings, but as I was told, maybe you just haven’t been human long enough to absorb that much yet. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that having more Mist would help with casting more spells. But average Mist is nothing I haven’t worked with before.”

   Having someone touch him wasn’t… exactly new, as the Lifesavers often checked up on him after missions and whatnot, but Zero felt like this was a little different. He’d never had a teacher before, but for some reason this just felt like something a teacher would do. He simply watched as the man hovered two fingers over his other arm, his torso, his legs, his back, making him realize how Mist was such an all-encompassing thing. It was probably inside his entire body.

   “The same as I’ve gathered from your arm, but again, I didn’t know what to expect when Signas told me you were a Reploid before. I’m satisfied you do have Mist, though, but I should have gathered as much, as humans and other biological beings cannot live without Mist inside of them. If they spend all of the magical energy within, they perish.” The mage smiled, but it was a sad smile, full of memories. “I wouldn’t worry about that happening in our classes if I were you. The most that would happen to you is passing out from using too much. I won’t make you use the most draining spells, especially right away, and I can teach about life-giving spells only in theory. They mostly aren’t recommended, because you will always be more useful in life than in death.” And it was a lesson he taught all his students, especially the ones who seemed to take a great interest on life-giving spells. This amount of power always came with a price.

   The two Hunters shared looks, surprised at this new bit of information. Humans could die if there was no Mist left in their bodies? How had this not been exploited by anyone yet? Not that there was apparently any known way to suck someone’s Mist out of their body, but still, if someone ever found out a way, it could mean the end of the human race, just as the deactivation spell could mean the end of Reploids. They had to fight against both those forces—the ones who wished to vanquish humans, and the ones who wished to vanquish Reploids—and it seemed like this discovery of magic by the general populace would end up springing many more issues in the near future. It was almost enough to give them a headache…

   “Um, mister Minwu…” X tried, mind reeling, “How powerful are life-giving spells? Are they something we have to begin worrying about? And do you know anything about the deactivation spell?”

   “Life-giving spells can be several times more powerful than simple spells, but they’re nothing that would cause a world-wide calamity, such as summoning a giant meteor from the skies, at least as far as I know. They might be able to take out a building, though. Their area of effect tends to be bigger and energy, more concentrated. Not only offensive spells are life-giving spells—I reckon that the Carbuncles give their life to transform you into humans, which is understandable, due to the biology that has to be created and the elements that are carried over. The Life spell is a life-giving spell that allows one to save a dying person at the cost of one’s own life. Many myths exist about spells that can bring the dead back to life, but with what I currently know, that is impossible. If it was theoretically possible, it’d probably require the life energy of many to revive a single person. I don’t think we should worry too much about malevolent people using violent life-giving spells; it’s only one more tool of destruction to pile up with what has already been invented by human hands. As of the deactivation spell… little is known about it, but I believe I’m able to cast it, without having learned it from others. It’s a complicated spell, without being overtly complicated to the point of being life-giving, but it’s quite a dangerous tool for controlling and getting rid of Reploids. You did well by choosing to transform into a human to avoid it, because Heidi seems to teach it to all human members. If you are indeed affected by that spell, going against them would simply be suicide. But now you have the means to fight them, and I’m glad I can aid you in that aspect.” The mage replied, trying to be as informative as possible about the subject of magic, because it was a whole new world to the both of them.

   Maybe knowing that people couldn’t summon a meteor, even with life-giving spells, was a very relieving thing. So they weren’t fighting against technical “gods”—for now. “You can cast the deactivation spell? Isn’t there anything you can help with to counteract it, then? Knowing how it works, it should mean that you should know how to defend against it… right?” The blue Hunter inquired with a hopeful tone, and Zero looked at him with certain fondness.

   Minwu was silent for a few moments, conjuring up a wooden staff which he held before his lap, horizontally. “Unfortunately, I do not know any spell that specifically counters the deactivation spell, and I do not know how to work with technology, so I can’t make any promises. However, with a strong Shell spell, which is a barrier that protects against certain magical attacks, there might be a chance that the deactivation spell won’t affect its target.”

   X’s emerald eyes lighted up, and he turned to his lover with a smile, “That’s great news! It might not work for sure, but, it’s one of the only hopes we have.” And then back at the mage, “Do you think our human army could cast Shell on our Reploid Hunters to support them in a joined raid against Heidi? I know we don’t have a human army yet, but it would be great to know this beforehand so we can plan ahead in any case.”

   “That could work.” The instructor hummed, “And if you want to know if that strategy works for sure, so the mission doesn’t end up failing because of overseeing this, we can try it here, as long as you’re okay with possibly being deactivated for a certain amount of time. I would think you Hunters have the necessary means of revival, yes? As long as you trust me, you can request me to try this theory out at any time.”

   The expression on the blond’s face tightened a little, and he sent his partner a concerned, questioning look. X didn’t need much time to think; if this would help their cause, he’d gladly be the target of a deactivation spell. “Zero, don’t worry so much, I’ll be okay. Maybe this can be my last use as a Reploid. I trust Minwu will not permanently hurt me; do you? Besides, that’s only if our theory fails, and Shell won’t protect me. I’m ready any time.” He reassuringly touched his lover’s arm, nodding towards the robe-clad male. “Would you want to try this now, or teach Zero the basics first?”

   “We don’t know when the Carbuncles will come to transform you, so perhaps we should get this out of the way. There is no time limit to deactivation, and reviving is relatively quick.” Minwu brandished his staff, gesturing for the red Hunter to stand back. “My Shell spell is pretty advanced, so we will see how it goes. I haven’t had much experience with my take on deactivation, though, so hopefully, if nothing happens, it is because the barrier was successful as opposed to me not casting an accurate deactivation spell.”

   “You can test out the deactivation spell on me without Shell afterwards.” The Reploid offered, earning a sharp breath from Zero, who had moved out of the way. “Okay, do your best—or worst.”

   The White Mage nodded, focusing the Mist within and gathering some from the surroundings to summon a powerful Shell spell, which was sent as a green glow in X’s direction, creating a barrier around him that was visible for a single moment, with a turtle’s shell-like appearance. “I will teach you Shell within a week, depending on how well you take to magic, Zero. Ready yourself, X.” And then, he gathered Mist a second time for another, different kind of spell, which required much of his concentration as his hands and arms became warmer, and he sent the deactivation spell the other’s way, a thin, nearly invisible stream drawing the magic’s path.

   When the spell hit the barrier, the blue Hunter was overcome with a little dizziness, wobbling a bit on place, but then he regained his bearings, blinking the dizzy spell away and taking in a deep breath. He was whole, and had not been sent falling unconscious to the ground. “Did it work? I felt… something, but I wasn’t deactivated. I think it worked.”

   “Maybe the fact that you felt something means the deactivation spell is successful, it was just turned weak and ineffective by Shell. These are all good things—it means sturdy Shell barriers can block deactivation and leave Reploids only dizzy for a second, because there was an attempt at deactivating their systems. We’ll just have to make sure the humans that make up your army know how to cast a good Shell, because a weak one might not be able to stop deactivation.” There was some satisfaction in Minwu’s voice, at the fact they had just found out a means to combat Heidi’s most dangerous weapon. He did not doubt the extent of Zero’s and X’s powers, but to win this battle, humans and Reploids would have to work together; they would not be able to proceed without the other.

   “This is wonderful! I need to inform this to Signas right away!” X was always too content with good news, because living in a planet like this could make one feel hopeless. A dying planet whose resources were taken almost beyond salvation, where humanity had turned to technology in an attempt to find a meaning in their lives and fix what was once razed. And even in creating company in the form of Reploids, there was just more friction, as Reploids started fighting each other and then, humans. And humans started fighting Reploids. It was just a mess, a mess Maverick Hunters and warriors of peace worked to fix and prevent every day. They still held onto hope, that the world could slowly be reborn, and lives could be rebuilt. It’s what they’ve been doing ever since they started fighting; rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. Someday, it had to end, and everything would be on its proper place so the planet could heal its wounds. Or at least, that’s what they hoped for.

   As the blue Hunter dashed to the main communication room, Zero was left with Minwu, the former absentmindedly reaching for his hair to have something to hold on to.

   “Shall we start your training?” The mage asked, noticing how the other’s worry hadn’t yet fully faded from the previous experience of sending a deactivation spell his partner’s way.

   “Sure. I’m ready. The sooner I learn, the sooner I can help Axl.” The blond stated, stroking his own hair a little before letting go and looking the man’s way, determined.

   This would be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minwu is not an OC, but a guest character from another video game series. Some of the more major characters in this fanfiction will be guest characters, so expect to see more of them. Some will still have to be OCs, though.
> 
> The ending seems so rushed and icky, I'm sorry.


	8. First Discovery - Worrying Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axl starts exploring Heidi, and Maverick Hunters headquarters finds out that Axl has begun transforming into a human.

   Axl didn’t know how long he’d spent unconscious before he woke up, but he guessed that this detail was the least important currently, as his body throbbed all over. He didn’t open his eyes yet, dark eyelashes fanning the top of his cheeks, as he simply tried understanding what was it that he was feeling. Slowly transforming into a human would be weird, he reckoned—would all the transformations happen as he was awake? Shivar said there would be pain… he hoped it wouldn’t be too much, or at least not enough that he would lose control. He tried moving his arms, his legs a bit, and there was a pricking feeling in them, a little bothersome, but it seemed like his armour was still where it should be. It didn’t feel like it was attached to his body, though, rather… it seemed he was wearing it over his body. Better than losing it all, he mulled. A little more shifting, and he did feel something between his legs, much like what he’d seen on Zero, and this prompted him to open his blurry eyes, sit up slowly with a groan. He had to fit his helmet properly in his head, and there was nothing too new visually on his crotch, with the armour on the way, but it just felt… tight. There was something there now, and his solid crotch armour was kind of squishing it, making it uncomfortable, but nothing he couldn’t survive. Curiosity would have gotten the best of him and made him strip to look at it, but he was in the middle of a mission, for Earth’s sake, and there was no time to find out how he could even strip. He rubbed at his face, taking in a deep breath that made his insides feel weird; it was about time he delved even deeper into Heidi, so he had no time to spare lounging about.

   For future reference, he left the hiding spot as it was, and by the looks of it, there had been activity in the storage, but no one had thought of looking at the back, fortunately. He stretched, letting out a little moan, and shook his head to bring awareness into him. He had energy to spare now, and perhaps even Mist, so hopefully he’d be able to hold onto a transformation just fine. As he reached the door, he opened it and swiftly looked around, finding the corridor to be deserted, before he transformed into one of the staff Mavericks he’d been able to retrieve the DNA core from the past day. Was past day still the right term? If he’d been out the entire day and it was now Monday night, he would not be surprised, but anything longer than that would be a little worrying. Regardless, he closed the door behind him and walked through the corridor, feeling a little nervous inside, but he’d practiced doing this enough times in Red Alert that he knew how to act natural in another form despite his insecurities. The rooms were seemingly all labeled, thankfully, so his search wouldn’t have to be more difficult than it already was. The first chambers had plates saying ‘storage’ as well, but none of them had quite the same contents as the larger one he’d been in, judging by looking through the little windows the doors had. And then, there were two elevators, but he ignored them for now, and turned a corner to find more rooms. This time, they were labeled ‘Reploid Creation Rooms’, and that certainly took his interest. He looked into the door window of the second one, lowering his head so the bottom of the glass would be just below eye-level, hoping no one would catch him spying.

   There was a ginger scientist inside, pacing about the room for a bit before he returned to a work platform of sorts, and there was no mistaking the fact that there was a Reploid under construction in the slightly elevated “table”. Exposed wires and innerwork metals in a vague humanoid shape, various gears and chips and instruments beside it, corkscrews, steel, smooth surface metals. There were computers visible from his vision, but he could not make out any of the words written in it, one of the screens containing a blueprint of a Reploid with several pointers and descriptions on each body part. The only light in the room was a quite bright white one above the work “table”, pointed towards the robot being built. It gave off a slightly eerie atmosphere, and at the same time, images from his dreams flashed in his mind—a similar bright light in an otherwise dark room, blinding his vision.

   “What are you doing there?”

   Obscured by the sudden memories, Axl was a little startled by the voice coming from his side, and turned to see a short, round Reploid—probably a Maverick—standing there and holding a clipboard, blinking at his stance. They didn’t seem to be mad at him for what he was doing, or even fearful, so even though the Hunter had his heart racing—did he already have a heart? —, it could have been far worse depending on how the other had reacted to him.

   “You know, these rooms right here are pretty scary, if you ask me. Didn’t think anyone would have the courage to look into them.” The shorter one mentioned, shrugging. “I would ask if you saw anything interesting, but I guess I don’t want to know.”

   Axl wouldn’t have known what to do in such a situation if he had never trained in Red Alert before, but as he had, he tried to recover from his shock quickly. “Ah, I was just curious, is all. If it’s scary to everyone, no one looks into them, but someone eventually has to, right?” He tried to verbally shrug it off, hoping nothing he’d said was too far from reality.

   “Just make sure they don’t catch you taking a peek. This entire place has some dark secrets they don’t tell even us, so if you discover anything, they’ll get you retired in the blink of an eye.” The Maverick started walking away, but they turned to say, “I would have liked to know these secrets too, but it’s way too dangerous, I’m not dying for curiosity. Good luck with that, maybe you should share your findings with us someday.” And then they left, turning around the corner.

   So the Maverick didn’t seem to care… what a relief. There were all kinds of Mavericks, he supposed, and even kinds of humans, so if he did get caught, it would be better if it was someone that didn’t bother. As far as the other had said, what they knew about Heidi was right; they held secrets and were ruthless in treating their staff. But these rooms he’d found were new information; Heidi was creating Reploids, which was controversial considering their goals. Maybe they were just creating servants because no one would supply them? Maybe an army, as humans were far more scarce than Reploids were? Headquarters could think about this together with him. Maybe he should continue his exploring.

   The other rooms in the first floor were potentially used for robotic engineering, and there were classrooms as well. One chamber in particular that had a mechanical door and no windows was labeled ‘Treasury’, and he wasn’t quite sure what it was for. Human treasuries were generally where they kept jewelry and gold, right? This couldn’t be the organization’s source of money. He had to find out later.

   Walking through the classrooms corridor, he noted how the whole place felt like a contemporary research center and laboratory, with white and grey metal and concrete for walls and ceilings, some mechanical doors, and even highly advanced machinery if him looking into one of the ‘Reploid Creation Rooms’ was any indication. It wasn’t too different from Maverick Hunters headquarters, if he was to compare the two. No deadly traps, skull decorations, dark themes, nothing, it seemed as normal as any other building in the city. For a goal so sinister and cruel that involved mass murder, the locale itself betrayed nothing of it. The architecture didn’t tell anything about the organization’s intentions.

   Suddenly, a sharp pain in Axl’s insides made him halt, and he hugged his abdomen, transforming back into his normal form almost instantly as more pain shot up his spine and his entire body. He gasped, squeezing his eyes shut and bending forward as the intensity of the cramps increased, making his body quake and spasm. Digging his fingers into his palms, trying to handle the sheer agony, he just couldn’t stop the painful waves from washing over him over and over, until it was just too much and he collapsed, feeling so much pain his senses left him, and he was left unconscious in the corridor of the enemy’s base.

 

   The day had been long for Zero, who spent most of the time learning the basics of magic, both theoretically and through practice, until he felt drained from using so much Mist. Magic was vaguely similar to using his own energy for blasts and other similar attacks back when he was a Reploid, so he caught on quickly, but it also felt so different. He was still learning, so he felt a little crippled without energy weapons and his spells being so weak, but Minwu reassured him that, with time, his spells would become much more powerful and his stamina with Mist would grow, and perhaps he’d become one of the most powerful spellcasters of his time—when he asked why that was, the White Mage simply answered, “You were one of the most powerful Reploids, with a mysterious constitution as well, so I believe this power and mystery were both passed on to your human form. Even with magical studies, we all know how magic easily transcends scientific logic, therefore I do not doubt that many of your characteristics as a Reploid were passed on to you now. Not only your personality and physique, but the fact you are really powerful as well.” It was… he didn’t really understand how that worked, as well, but it was weirdly reassuring. Being skilled had always given him a sense of security, but it was a double-edged blade, because if he was to turn into a Maverick, that same power would mean the end of everyone else. He really hoped there was no way he could become Maverick as a human.

   Magic training wasn’t the only reason he thought of the day as long—the fact he’d eaten a full, proper lunch for the first time was also relatively memorable. It was kind of a long jump from buttered bread, but Alia took him and X to a restaurant in the city, and he ate spaghetti with tomato sauce, minced meat, and grated cheese, as far as he remembered. The spaghetti didn’t have much of a taste by itself, but the sauce did (and it tasted a little weird, if he could add), and so did the meat on the sauce, and the cheese gave a slight taste. She asked him to drink orange juice as well (“Orange and grape juices seem to be the most well-liked juices, so it’s safer to try them first”), as clean as the restaurant could possibly provide, and it wasn’t too bad either. X had just listened to everything him and Alia said, and had found it interesting, to sit in an eating place for the second time. Humans seemed to spend a lot of time bonding on eating places. “Will this be my first meal, too?”, the blue Hunter had asked, and the navigator told him that it could be, if he wanted it to be.

   Night time was upon them, and Zero was resting on a bench in the main communication room, slowly regaining his Mist. He was looking at the nearby “food storage” close to the wall, wondering what he’d eat next for the upcoming dinner. X was sitting by his side, his hand draped over the other’s, as he watched the occupants of the room do their work. Axl hadn’t contacted them since their previous night, and it was a little worrying, but maybe he’d just do it later, close to midnight. Maybe he’d even fallen asleep without even having the chance to call them, because of being so tired. It was a much more positive thought than the alternatives, for sure. It could take time, but he’d reach them, he definitely would.

   “I’m sorry I took so long.” A voice resounded in the room, and a glowing light appeared in front of the sitting couple, almost immediately summoning a Carbuncle, long ears and gem and small paws. It looked at the two of them, not betraying any emotions. “X, it’s your turn now.”

   The brunet blinked, taking in the appearance of the little one as he recovered from the sudden visit. “Oh, that’s—I thought it would take longer. Don’t worry, it wasn’t too late at all.” He nodded, caressing Zero’s hand a little before standing up. “Is there any name you’d like to be called by, or can I name you? I didn’t want you to go without anything unique to refer to you by, since you’ll be sacrificing yourself for this. Even after you’re gone, we will remember you and Carbuncle. So I’d like you to have a name.”

   “A name for me, huh…? I don’t mind, you can go ahead and name me.” It assured, and then a little quieter, mostly to itself, “I wonder what Axl named the other one…”

   Focusing on which name to choose for the creature, X hadn’t heard the quieter part, but Zero definitely had, and straightened his back in awareness. “What Axl named the other one? Do you mean Carbuncle?”

   Slowly, the little one raised its eyes over to the blond. “I don’t mean Carbuncle. We paid a little visit to Axl, as well.”

   At this, everyone in the room who had been paying attention when the being appeared sort of almost fell from their sitting places, leaning in as if the gesture could approximate them to it and hear everything clearer than before.

   “You offered humanity to Axl?!” X’s emerald eyes were wide, and Zero would have held his arm to make him calm down, if only he wasn’t equally alarmed.

   “My people did, yes.” The Carbuncle waved its paw beside its eye, as if readjusting glasses that weren’t there. “He is becoming as powerful as you two, so we thought that he could prove to be a great asset in our endeavors, by your side. It’ll make your chances against Heidi even greater.”

   “Hold on, did he accept it?” Pallette nearly squeaked, clinging tightly to the back of her chair.

   The small one turned her way, nodding. “Yes. He accepted it. We can no longer pick up our comrade’s Mist signals, and we had to send another one to keep sending energy Axl’s way.”

   “What about his powers? Did he lose his powers?” The blue Hunter breathed.

   “Why would you need to keep sending energy his way?” Zero inquired, throat feeling a little caught. “Did something go wrong?”

   “Calm down.” The creature sighed, bouncing slowly in its floating pattern. “We don’t believe his powers will be gone, and that is why we are currently sending energy his way. He agreed to a slow transformation, that would take days as opposed to be instantaneous, because that was the only way we can be as sure as possible that he won’t lose his copying abilities. Our comrade sacrificed itself to give the first push, but we still need someone to keep sending magical energy so the transformation can continue. We’ll only be completely sure when it’s over, though.”

   Their thoughts became troubled with this new development, and it wasn’t necessarily good or bad, just, they didn’t know how to react. If anything, it would lean towards bad, because Axl could potentially lose his powers and the transformation was still occurring, in Heidi’s headquarters no less. The Carbuncles should have waited, waited until he was safe and sound at home and could brunt through a transformation as opposed to smack dab in the middle of enemy territory.

   “Is he… okay?” X sounded like he was nearly pleading, his mouth was dry. Please let him be okay.

   “I’m… not sure.” The Carbuncle muttered honestly, fiddling with its paws. “We expect the slow transformation to be painful, and the first push does render one unconscious, though he might have woken up already. He’s certainly alive, because our other comrade who is lending him energy isn’t back yet. I can’t know his status though, unless I directly ask the one watching over him. I don’t think I can do it now, however…”

   After the creature’s response, it didn’t take long for Zero to stand up in a determined stance. “I’ll go after him.”

   “Zero, Zero, _calm down_.” Alia requested, standing up as well and going towards them just in case the red Hunter would run away. “I know you’re worried, but think this through for a moment, okay? Axl might be in danger, I know, but if you went right now, it’d just be you with your saber and X still in Reploid form going against Heidi, and I don’t doubt your skills, but it’s just way too dangerous to risk it all. What good would it be if you ran off and got yourself killed just because you couldn’t wait out for an opportunity? If Axl got through this alive, what would he think when he found out that his two best friends died because of him? Listen, he is our friend, he’s an essential Hunter and a kind-hearted man, but springing right into the action without a plan or the right equipment isn’t the way to go. He’s changed; he knew exactly what he would be getting into when he offered his mission, and he was aware of the dangers of accepting a Carbuncle’s offer in the middle of Heidi headquarters. He knows it better than we do, even, he is the one who saw it with his own eyes. It was his choice, it was selfless, but it was his nonetheless, and we have to respect it. We just have to keep positive and wait for him to contact us, I’m sure he will, and then we will know if he’s alright. Please… don’t run away into Heidi by your own. That goes to the both of you. We are gathering information, we are gathering an army, we are constantly devising plans, we just need more time.”

   The blond had been more or less holding his breath during the other’s speech, and when she finished, he exhaled a sigh. His heart was racing; he just felt so… helpless. Alia was right, he knew rationally, but his emotions could not be quelled. Axl could be in grave danger, graver than before, and there was nothing he could do about it. With the Z-Saber, maybe he would be able to tear through Heidi’s defenses to get to him, but without any other form of protection, no armour, no energy devices, weak magic, being killed was a very realistic possibility. And if he and X ran away right now, X would still be in Reploid form, and he didn’t know how to cast Shell, so he’d likely have to carry a deactivated X all the way through the building. Everything was just so complicated and dangerous, but… curses! Axl could be in danger, and his own life didn’t matter, but…

   “Sometimes, we have to think about the world, too.” Signas mentioned, shaking his head. “A failed raid by you two would not only mean your deaths, but likely Heidi’s victory over the Reploids, and domination over humans. It’s hard for me to say, but we cannot risk losing it all over one life. Axl is doing this to help build a better world, and that’s what he would want. Don’t get ahead of yourselves, this was his choice.”

   It was when the single thought ‘I choose Axl over the world’ appeared in Zero’s and X’s minds that, they realized how they truly loved him.

 

   A few hours later had Zero fed, holding a clothed, human, unconscious X on his arms as he sat on a bench in the resting room, the same exact place where the blue Hunter had held him for hours the previous day, and Axl much, much earlier. The Carbuncle—Asura, as X had named it—transformed him and perished, in the resting room itself for privacy reasons. The spare clothes at first meant for the red Hunter went to clothing him instead, and just as it had happened with the former, all of the brunet’s armour was gone except for his helmet, which rested on the bench by their side. Zero nuzzled the slight mess that was his lover’s hair and took in a breath of his scent, and it was nice to hold him like this, as if the other was merely asleep. There was no worry for him, he would be okay—however, Axl still hadn’t contacted them. It was approaching the first light rays of morning, and nothing. Worry clung to his heart and made it feel heavy and tense, but as Alia and Signas had said, there was nothing he could do. Tiredness was really taking hold of him by now, especially after the training earlier in the day—well, now yesterday—, and he’d regained some of his Mist, but was still tired. Instead of worrying his time away, maybe he should rest now and get a few hours of sleep before rising up to a new day. It’d likely be more magic training, and helping X learn his human ways. And they still hadn’t finished reading the resume Pallette and Layer had written for them…

   Hooking his arms under his partner’s knees and back, he rose from the bench and walked towards the corner where they’d slept last time, but he made a longer track that was more a wave than a straight line, and passed through Axl’s capsule. There was nobody in it, as expected, and it was a bit hard to see inside due to the way the glass was built, but he could barely catch a glimpse of a rose pendant. It was a surprise to him, because he’d thought all the younger Reploid had with him were stuff like water bottles in case of necessity, but apparently, there was more with him—more to him—than he’d previously realized. Was this a memento from Red Alert? They’d spent so much time together that it was hard to believe he acquired anything like that during his stay at Maverick Hunters headquarters. It must have been from before. Sometimes Axl would talk about Red Alert, the memories he had from there, some of his first fighting experiences, but was otherwise not very talkative about his past. As he’d alluded to very soon after he met Zero, he had no memories before Red Alert, no memory of how he’d gotten his powers, and why. “Even I don’t know where I picked this up.” He’d said, “I don’t remember. Red found me, and I’ve been defeating enemies ever since.”

   Maybe he held onto this pendant as a good memory… Axl reminded Zero of himself. He hadn’t known about his origins either for the longest time, and only during the memory outburst during his second death did he remember what he’d been created for. What he was meant to be. A retirer of Reploids. There was still no clear face to the man who created him, but it must have been someone cruel, heartless, and skilled enough to create a Reploid like him. But that was all behind him now—or at least, it should be—, because now he was human and couldn’t become a Maverick anymore. He would no longer be constantly fighting against his designed fate; he now had the freedom to choose his own destiny. And he’d choose to fight, fight against Mavericks, Heidi, other evildoers, build a better world where humans and Reploids would thrive in peace—by X’s and Axl’s side.

   Taking in a deep breath, the blond returned to walking to the sleeping spot, and very gently set X down, proceeding to kneel and then lie by his side. He embraced his loved one, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep, lulled by thoughts of a better future that they’d all build, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is very short, I'm sorry.


	9. The Reins of History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still in Heidi, Axl is faced with help from unexpected places.

   At first, Axl recalled nothing of recent events. In the haziness of awakening, he willed himself to become aware of his surroundings, as his mind tried to clear the fog obscuring it and his senses started working again. He felt… softness, underneath him, and his body felt kind of numb honestly, breaths slowly quickening from their resting pace. Where was he, for it to be so soft under him? He recalled a bright light, much like in his dreams, but this wasn’t it…

   Wait…

   The memories rushed back in a flood. He was in Heidi, or at least that’s where he’d been last—he’d discovered classrooms and Reploid creation rooms and the treasury and got spotted by a Maverick and oh, he’d felt so, _so_ much pain, and probably fainted afterwards because of it. In the middle of a corridor. In the enemy’s headquarters.

   Verdant eyes shot open, and feeling a presence in the room, he immediately raised his upper body and pointed Axl Bullets towards whoever it was. The man in question didn’t seem to be fazed, wearing a white coat as part of a scientist’s garb, and the transforming Reploid would have analyzed him further if only pain didn’t emerge from his innards again, making him squeeze his eyes shut and wind an arm around his middle with a groan, the other still wielding one of his guns.

   “Calm down, you’ll end up hurting yourself that way.” The voice came from the researcher’s direction, calm, even. “You’re safe in here—for now. Don’t push yourself too much.”

   Who was this, and why was he so unfazed by it all? Was Axl still in Heidi? It couldn’t be, they would have gotten him retired or turned into a Maverick by now—as far as he knew, he was still himself, so he couldn’t have been turned yet. Was that process on its way…?

   “Y-you seem… fairly tranquil, for having an unknown Reploid with weapons pointing at you.” He stammered, willing at least one eye to half open amidst the pain. “What are you going to do to me? Make me a Maverick?”

   The softness, he realized, was because he was sitting on a bed. This wasn’t quite like the Reploid creation rooms he’d seen earlier; there were a few computers, some working tables with gadgets, but overall it felt different, now that he swiftly glanced around, with an open door to another little room and what he could only guess was a small fridge in the corner, besides the bed he was on, of course. If anything, this seemed like the researcher’s own room.

   The man turned on his chair slowly, now fully facing the other occupant of the room. He had shortish grey hair and a shallow beard, wore antique glasses, and long white gloves above the (probably required) white laboratory coat. His clothes weren’t contemporary, rather, they had an interesting design, which was often described by others as resembling the “steampunk” style. Whoever it was, Axl probably had never heard of him. “I do not think I would be able to make you a Maverick even if I wanted to. After all, are you even sure you’re truly a Reploid now?” The researcher, probably in his late fourties or fifties, raised his hands almost as if in a shrug.

   Axl’s eyes widened minimally, after he was able to more or less brunt through the pain. Had he been analyzed? Well, of course, scientists were ont to do that, but how much had he found out? How “human” was he at this point?

   “You are quite an interesting specimen, I would say, because you have both some Reploid systems and human systems. For the past hours, every time I analyzed you, you would have more and more human elements than before. Say, I’ve seen nothing like it before. Could it be the work of some powerful magic?” The older male clasped his hands together. “I do not think technology is capable of this yet. It’s quite impressive; I feel honoured that I had the luck to happen upon you and scan your form. It’s been years since I’ve come across any interesting Reploid to work with.”

   “Answer me this: are you working for Heidi? Am I still in Heidi headquarters?” The Hunter inquired, still in a defensive stance. Whatever affiliation the other had, though, he really didn’t want to serve as anybody’s guinea pig. Even the Lifesavers checking him up made him feel uncomfortable.

   “The answer to the last question is yes, but as to the first… technically, I am. I am working as a researcher for Heidi, but I do not really sympathize with their goals. This was merely a way I found to safely conduct my research, mainly on human magic. There are quite a few magicians in Heidi, so this was an opportunity I couldn’t miss. If anything, I’m hoping they won’t achieve what they want, though, since the future should be controlled by the hands of Man—which includes Reploids. Having a cruel dictatorship in power teaches nothing about the freedom we were always meant to have. No gods or fierce government to control ourselves, only us. Ah, but enough about my ideals, enough about me—I’ve always worked with Reploids, as well, which is why I analyzed you. I wanted to know, young man, why are you slowly transforming into a human?” He seemed to be quite interested in this subject, and probably wouldn’t let go of it for a while. But, if he didn’t really agree with Heidi, that meant he wouldn’t just give him away to the organization, right? From what he’d gathered, he seemed to have been the first to come across him collapsed on the corridor, so if he had had Heidi in mind, he’d already have turned him in.

   “You… so you’ll not turn me in? You’re basically hiding me from Heidi?” Axl lowered Axl Bullets; he needed to know that, needed to know if he was in danger. He was still inside the building, after all, as the other had said.

   “Correct. I have no intention to give you over to them, especially when you’re so peculiar. From what you’re saying, you probably aren’t part of the staff, so I’m assuming you are a spy. That does not concern me, so whatever may be your affiliation, you do not have to worry.”

   Huh. This was… new. Collapsing in the middle of enemy territory usually meant certain death, but apparently he’d just had the pure luck that this scientist came across him before anyone else, and happened to be neutral about all of this. He hadn’t been retired; this was good news. There were still reasons to distrust this man, but so far, it didn’t seem like he’d done anything but analyze him, and Heidi didn’t seem to know anything about his infiltration.

   “Tell me, tell me, why are you half human now?” The researcher insisted, gesturing with his hand for him to go on.

   “Okay, okay, I figure there is no harm in telling you.” Axl sighed, shaking his head a little and then wincing; his insides still hurt. “A creature with tremendous magic power whose species are nicknamed Carbuncle came to me and offered to slowly transform me into a human, which I accepted. That’s basically what’s happening to me right now. Satisfied?” He intentionally made the story short and undescriptive, not wanting to delve into the reason why he accepted it and how it was only a slow transformation so his powers would hopefully be preserved. If the other discovered his powers so soon, he’d want him to demonstrate it and analyze him even more and it would just be exhausting. “Now it’s your turn; what human systems are already complete inside of me?” Not that he was the most knowledgeable person about how a human’s insides worked, but he’d have to start learning, and having a general idea would certainly give him a good picture of how far into the transformation he was.

   There was a pause, and the man, still nameless, rubbed his chin. “So Carbuncles aren’t a myth… you really won’t tell me the reason you accepted such a proposal, I reckon? Fair enough.” He turned back to a laptop on the desk, seeming to be going over some notes. “Your brain is whole, as is your outer skin, the outside of your body. Digestive system is near complete, kidneys, liver and bladder fully functional, heart, lungs, most protective and structural bones. Genitals in perfect condition. Your testicles and other glands are naturally producing hormones. There are still some metals and chips inside of you, but I assume they’ll disappear at some point. Your blood is flowing, so it’s already being processed and filtrated. Eating now, for example, would be a bad idea, but I think you can drink water. Is that enough information for you? It does seem like it would be quite a painful process, so I theorize that this was the reason you collapsed in the first place. Am I correct?” Looking back at the transforming Reploid, he noted how the other was looking down at his own lap. “I’m wondering, how long have you been here? When did this transformation start?” And how were you able to bypass security and discover our location, he wanted to ask, but that might have been too suspicious to voice now. After all, it was mere curiosity that would make him inquire so; he didn’t need to tell any of his higher ups about the loopholes that had made it possible for a spy to get in.

   Again, considering the other’s lack of interest in Heidi, Axl didn’t see harm in telling him a few details. “I got here in the weekend and Shivar—the Carbuncle—came to me Monday dawn. I reckon I’ve been transforming ever since. Wait…” He furrowed his eyebrows a little. “What day is today?” By the information he’d been given, it seemed like his transformation state was quite advanced, either that or humans had lots of other systems he had no idea about. He didn’t know how much was created by Shivar’s magic, and how much was changed while he was unconscious both times, by the magic of another Carbuncle he couldn’t see. But the pain he felt was certainly a sure sign that it wasn’t over; at least he hoped he wouldn’t feel the sheer agony that he’d felt back in the corridor ever again.

   “Powerful magic… oh, it’s almost Tuesday evening. I found you yesterday night. I had hoped you’d awaken; I wasn’t sure you ever would. And it’s even better that it happened before any of the servants came around, it would be harder to hide you.” The researcher stood up, grabbing a bottle of water at the end of the table and going towards the bed. “You see, I even used my own personal laptop to write notes on my analysis of you so that Heidi would not be able to track you. Drink this, it helps, even though it won’t make the pain go away. I don’t want you to take painkillers, because your human systems are not complete yet, and who knows what medication during transformation would ensue in.” He offered the bottle to him.

   The auburn-haired male simply stared at the offered object, which seemed harmless, for all intents and purposes, but still, this was a stranger giving him something to ingest. He shouldn’t accept those kinds of things so easily.

   Noting the other’s hesitance, the older opened the bottle and took a swig, just to show him how it wasn’t poisoned or anything like that. He then offered it again. “I know it’s hard to believe someone you’ve just met in enemy territory, but trust me when I say that I do not intend to harm you or make you uncomfortable. My days of mindlessly experimenting on Reploids are over. I just want to expand upon my knowledge through analysis, is all.”

   Not saying anything (he didn’t know what to say, there were so many things in his mind), Axl took the bottle and drank some himself. It refreshed him somewhat if anything, and his pained innards felt a little weird with the water, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. Nothing really bad could come from water, right? Absentmindedly, he’d drank half the bottle before stopping and looking at the researcher, then his surroundings once more. “This is your room, isn’t it?” He received a nod in return, and tapped his fingers on the bed with his other hand. “You won’t… stop me from proceeding with my mission, right?” He looked up at the man. “You’ve correctly assumed that I’m, er, a spy, and… I have to keep doing this, it’s very important for my team. I haven’t been caught yet, so it’s only fair that I resume my task. I don’t want to give up, they are all counting on me.” Talking about the others—they should be really worried by now, he hadn’t contacted them since Monday dawn. He had to do it as soon as possible. “You don’t want to see Heidi achieve their goals, isn’t that what you said? My job can help them fall. So please, do not try to stop me.”

   “And I won’t try to stop you.” The man assured. “I’m old now, and all I want to do is help humanity have control over their own destinies individually. I can’t do much besides offer my own room as a hub—you can come and go from here as you please. Don’t you need somewhere to rest at the end of the day? I will have to upload some form of recognition of yourself in the door scanner, though. Few people are allowed to enter my room, and the door only opens to the ones it recognizes the DNA of. If you want to keep your DNA a secret, I can find another way to let you in freely, though. And don’t worry about eating or drinking once your digestive system is fully formed, I’ll handle it.” Just then, there was a knock at the door, making the scientist pipe up. “Oh, they might be the servants bringing in food. Quickly, hide yourself in the bathroom, I’ll let you know once you’re safe.” He helped the human-Reploid get up, and ushered him into the little room.

   The door was closed behind him, and Axl was left alone, in near-quietude for some time. So he would have a place he could return to inside Heidi? This was incredibly useful, and would prove to be far less stressful than having to find safe spots every single day, who could not prove to be very safe at all. If he only had the storage room to go to, sooner or later he could get caught, as it was a place that could be reached by anyone. A room with restricted access sounded lovely, and he wouldn’t have to search for it every time. He wouldn’t have to feel so tense every time he slept, hopefully. Getting to trust this researcher was still an issue, but if everything went well, spying on Heidi would prove to be much less daunting than he’d previously thought. He would have an ally inside the building.

   What had the other called this room… a bathroom? For bathing, right? He was reminded of Pallette’s resume, how it would really come in handy right now, because he didn’t understand much besides the sink and shower-bath. He hadn’t expected to _need_ the resume so early; hadn’t expected Shivar to come and offer him humanity. He’d still have read it, for Zero’s and X’s sakes, but being so far away from them, it wouldn’t have needed to be early. Perhaps he could get Pallette to read over some parts for him… or even, the scientist could teach him a few things…

   And it was more than past the time to call the others. He held the ear of his helmet, contacting them, as he observed the peculiar vibe of cleanliness this room gave off. It was all tiles and smooth surfaces, and there was even a mirror above the sink. “Maverick Hunters headquarters, do you read me? This is Axl.” As for how he looked like himself, in the waning light of day, he was… pale, tiredness jabbing at his eyes, the pain he still felt hinted at in the curve of his lips. Even though transforming while in Heidi had been far more dangerous than at home, he was kind of glad that it was happening here, of all places; he really didn’t want the others to see him like this, pained, exhausted. It was almost like when he’d arrived from the Moon, and his eyes fixated in the aquamarine gem-like apparatus on his helmet as he recalled; it was completely shattered by Lumine’s tendrils, and a jet black _something_ had been ingrained inside. It took the Lifesavers a lot of effort to remove whatever it was, and he’d been unable to wake up before that happened. When he did wake, though, it had been in the comfort of X’s arms, and Zero by him. If one looked at the “power gem” now, no one would say that it was ever damaged in the first place, but that was only due to the efforts of his team to repair it. And though it was now whole, the memories stayed, and would haunt him for quite a while. That thing that became of Lumine—he wanted to be no part of it.

   “Axl!” Several voices went through his transmitters at once, startling him from his reverie. “Oh, I was so worried about you!” This time it was Pallette, but then Zero spoke almost as soon as she finished, breath a little heavy; it seemed like they weren’t all together in the main communication room, so he had to communicate wisely so it wouldn’t become a mess. “We were worried. You hadn’t called in a while. Are you alright? What happened?”

   “Hold on, let me explain before everyone talks at once. You guys aren’t in the same room, I think.” He took in a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. Well, if he didn’t talk about his slow transformation, he wouldn’t be able to explain all the time he spent unconscious, and it was only fair that he let them know about it, right? They had the right to know. “I, uh, Shivar, I mean, a Carbuncle came to me—”

   “You’re slowly transforming into a human. We know. We received a visit from them too to transform X, and it informed us. You nearly gave Zero and X a heart attack, you know.” Alia completed, and it sounded like they’d known for a few hours in the very least.

   Axl paused. They already knew? It wasn’t too surprising, considering how efficient the communication between Carbuncles were, but he still had to take that in. At least, it seemed like he wouldn’t have to stomach through explaining that part. “Y…yeah, the transformation is still going, and I fainted for a while with Shivar’s magic. When I woke up, I explored Heidi a little though, and I need to pass over this information. They’re creating Reploids in here—they have ‘Reploid Creation Rooms’ which were labeled as such, and I saw it with my own eyes. I couldn’t make out anything but blueprints in the computers, though. They also have classrooms, and a tightly shut mechanical door named Treasury. I couldn’t go any further though, because, well, transformation pains knocked me unconscious again. It was dangerous, but I don’t want any of you freaking out, okay? If it wasn’t for a little surprise, I’m sure I’d be dead by now. This scientist who is kind of neutral about Heidi took me in. He says he doesn’t care about the organization and is willing to help me out, because he’s old, and something else about… putting the reins of history back in the hands of Man. All of this happened since my last call, and I woke up less than an hour ago. I’m in his room now. Sorry for worrying you, I really had no way of communicating with you before this. I’m really sorry.”

   “It’s okay, Axl, I’m just glad you’re alive. Are you alright, though? You said you fainted from pain…” There was worry in X’s voice, which was also a bit labored.

   “Uh, I’m just feeling some pain right now, but it’s bearable. About that other pain, though—I hope I will never have to feel anything like that again in my entire life.” So much suffering in so little time; he sighed through his nose. “What about you, though, X? You transformed too, isn’t that correct? Did it go well?”

   “Ah, yes, I’m okay. All is well here in headquarters. Me and Zero were training our magic just now—hopefully we’ll be joining you, or you’ll be joining us, sooner than we expected. Be careful about that scientist, though, okay? Heidi seems like the type to have cunning snakes inside.”

   “I’ll be sure to take care—”

   “Well, now who will be there to fuss over your diet, since you’re becoming a human already?” Alia half joked, half spoke in all seriousness. “Did you eat at all?”

   “No, I didn’t eat, the researcher told me that it was a bad idea since my digestive system wasn’t complete yet. It seems like he analyzed me while I was out of it, and said that I already had a lot of human elements ready, like hormones, liver, heart, lungs, bladder, blood flowing, all kinds of things. I feel like the transformation is going to be complete soon. And ah, I don’t know how much he probed me actually, but it doesn’t seem like he did a lot, so don’t worry about that either.”

   “So, does that all mean you have a hub in Heidi now?” Signas proceeded to ask. “This would aid us all a lot, for it makes your mission easier to handle.”

   “I think I do, let’s see what happens, I had to absorb all of that in less than one hour so. I hope so, because as you said, it makes things a lot less stressful and dangerous to me. And hey, I think deactivation spells no longer work on me, so the worst that could happen now is outright death. Makes me feel a lot more at ease than being transformed into a Maverick.” The auburn-haired male was even getting a little more cheerful at these news, but still, his heart was sinking a bit.

   Why did emotions always seem to get the best of him whenever he contacted them? Was it nerves, from all those events happening so fast and so abruptly in his life? Honestly, it could be, as he felt like he was hanging from the edge of a knife. Missions were often where his heart lay, but now… now, that wasn’t only it. Missions, fighting, transforming into other Reploids, that wasn’t the only thing in his mind. His heart… it belonged to two very special people now. It beat for them, and now that he did have a real heart, it felt even more intense than before. His feelings took a hold of him, and it all felt so much more choking because he only truly realized while far away from them. He could be killed at any moment, and he hadn’t said anything to them, he hadn’t spent nearly enough of the time he wanted to spend with them. Friendship cuddles weren’t enough, he wanted more—he wanted to sleep by their side and hold them as they woke and press his lips against their temple, cheeks, hair, lips. He wanted to caress them and nuzzle them and snug tightly, he wanted to hear X’s bubbly laugh and Zero’s deep chuckle, that made his heart flutter every time, especially if he was the one that could make them react like that in the first place. And he wanted to touch them intimately, something he’d never gotten to do before. Even if they had new bodies now and he’d have to get used to that, he’d experiment with his touches and find out where it felt good, where they’d emit tiny noises or full-blown moans. How they’d feel pleasure, relief, contentment. He wanted to be the one to give them all of that.

   Changing the communicator’s addressed to only Pallette, Layer, Alia and Signas, he spoke as evenly as possible, “I’m sorry, but I have to halt the transmission now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, and I should start contacting you more often. I’ll send over everything I find out, okay? Axl out.” And then he cut off transmission before they could say anything, taking a few seconds to change the receivers to only the two he wanted to talk with. “Zero… X…” His voice was now weaker, a little breathless, as he did not contain the wave of emotion washing over him. They’d know he was only talking to them, even if only by the tone of his voice.

   “… Is something wrong, Axl?” X asked softly, and he could almost hear him taking Zero’s hand and pressing their shoulders together. The red Hunter gave a hum, as if intending to show his support and that he was listening to him, as well.

   Not even a deep breath was enough to calm him down; he just felt his breath shaking again. “I’m… I’m so sorry… I thought I was strong, I thought everything would run smoothly or end up in death right away, I’m… I didn’t expect any of this…”

   “Wait, hold on, what do you mean? Are you alright, Axl?” This time it was Zero, and he sounded more alarmed than before.

   A shaky exhale, and the auburn-haired male leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down the tiles until he was sitting on the floor. “I’m alright, I mean… I don’t know if this could be any worst, or any better…” His verdant eyes were glazed over, half-lidded. “I just… I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. My heart is about to leap out of my chest. I’m feeling choked, and so warm all over. It doesn’t feel like I have enough air to breathe. I want to scream, yet not say anything. I could laugh, or cry. I don’t understand any of it.”

   There was silence on the other end of the line, before the blue Hunter spoke up, hesitant, “Axl… do you want us to go over there right now? You don’t seem okay, did that scientist do anything to you?”

   “No, no! I mean… no, you don’t need to come here.” Even though I’d love to see you two again. “I am not in danger. I’m safe, I’m fine, I’m… am I making you worry again? I’m, I’m sorry, I’m so bad at this… What I mean is…” He took in a deep breath again, and it was gelid, a stark contrast against his warm being. He closed his eyes. “X, Zero, I… I love you. I love you with everything in me, and you’re the ones making me feel like this right now. I’m scared, I’m so scared of dying here and not be able to see you ever again. I don’t want to pass without seeing you, or hearing you, at least one last time. I wanted to be there with you, in your time of new experiences. I wanted to hold you like I see you hold each other, and kiss you like I’ve never done before, and sleep by your side, and play with your hair, and even tickle you or hug and cuddle like we’ve done before. But, I wanted it to be more romantic, more intimate. I want to be your lover, not just your friend, or best friend, or comrade, or protected. I know I wasn’t worthy of you back when we first met, but I think all of that has changed now. We’ve spent so much time together, and I would not trade these shared moments for the world. I don’t even care about the world anymore, what happens to it, I just, all I want is to see you two happy. And I wanted to share that happiness with you, I wanted to be part of your world. I don’t know if you feel the same, maybe I’m still the rogue teenager of before, but I just wanted to let you know… I couldn’t bear a single more minute without you knowing this. I didn’t want to die without saying anything. I love you, I love you I love you I love you I love you, and I cannot stress this enough. Please… forgive me for this.” His voice cracked, and then his eyes widened, and he realized that he was crying. The glimmering tears pooled in his eyes and slid down the sides of his face, and he was so shocked, because it had been so long since he’d last cried. So long, he couldn’t even properly recall it—if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that this was, in fact, the first time he ever cried. He’d heard from some people before, that Reploids were not meant to cry, that they couldn’t cry, and in Red Alert they never did, but though he was more human now than Reploid, he knew that wasn’t it. He knew it wasn’t true. They all could cry, and they all had emotions, too. And as rare as it was, here he was, unable to stop the droplets from drawing a path down his skin.

   Silence pervaded the bathroom, the other end of the line. Axl’s breaths were staggered, but he wasn’t sniffling, wasn’t sobbing. He wasn’t even trying to dry the tears, he simply allowed them to fall. So this was… this was how it felt like to be in love… All these emotions he couldn’t explain, everything indescribable that he felt, the words spilling from his mouth without check, warmth taking over him, heart racing and crying out for his loved ones. He’d never felt like this before, and it made him feel… alive. Even if his feelings were not reciprocated, having confessed all of this made him feel like a weight was lifted off his soul, and it was only fair the two should know how he truly felt. He did not want to burden them with the love of one more person, did not want to disrupt the beautiful relationship they already had, but…

   “Axl… listen.” It was Zero’s voice, and he seemed to be fighting to keep his tone even, but it was calm and comforting regardless. “It is essential that you know this of us: we love you, too. I know we have not said much yet, and it is our mistake, but we do mean it. You have no idea how much we wanted to be there by your side, not only to protect you, but to shower you with the affection that you deserve, kiss your worries and pains away. It pains us to know you’re suffering in there. I know it’s a mission, but very little is holding me back from storming Heidi and taking you back to where you truly belong. I apologize that this is our only current way of communication, but it is not too late, and you’ll hopefully be out of there soon. I won’t let you die, Axl, none of us will. You will come back, and we will be waiting to smother you with all the love we should have given you all this time. You’re not any trouble to us, and you will never be.”

   “If anyone should be asking for forgiveness here, it is us.” X continued, fondness coating his voice. “It took us too long to realize how special you are to us, and how meaningful your life is. I’m sorry we haven’t done anything romantic with you yet, but we’ll remedy that as soon as you are back. You don’t need to retrieve all possible information from Heidi; at some point, it will be enough, and you should run back home. We love you, and we will be waiting for you here, unless something horrible happens, and then we’ll come running.”

   “Zero… X…” Axl mentioned in a whisper, afraid his voice would break if it was any louder.

   “You don’t need to say anything.” The blue Hunter reassured. “We understand. Just take a little break, and focus on being okay there, alright?”

   “Remember, you can always count on us.” Zero added. “Remember to call us again whenever you’re not feeling well. We’ll always be ready to listen to you.”

   “Thank you… thank you so much.” And then the human-Reploid smiled through the tears, a genuine, content smile.

   Nothing could have made him happier then. To hear their voice, saying they loved him, even so far away. It was more than he could ever hope for, and holding their love in his hands, in his heart, that was how he’d brave through the rest of his mission.

   Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another guest appearance from another video game. His name will be revealed.
> 
> ...And writing Axl's confession was an emotional rollercoaster-- I swear I was feeling everything he was feeling. I became him as I wrote that, and honestly, it felt great.


	10. Washing and Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero's armour finally arrives, Axl has a bit of trouble with human biology, and lovers' banter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes nudity, bladder desperation and urination. You can skip it from when it changes to Axl's POV until he closes his eyes, and there is an extra paragraph.

   “Zero, your armour just arrived!” Alia ducked her head into the resting room, glad that he and X were still preparing the large basin so she wouldn’t have to be embarrassed at seeing anyone naked—again. “Just thought you should know, but please bathe first so you’ll be clean before wearing it. It’s really almost like the one you had, with a few tweaks, but I’m just glad it seems resistant despite only taking around three days to be fabricated. Remember to wash properly, and you help him too, X. It’s not an ideal bath, but…” They really didn’t have many options when it came to washing; it was either travel far enough to a relatively private body of water, use the gym showers, or this simple and old method; a large basin full of water. It was better than nothing, at least, even though she was almost sure Zero’s long hair alone would use the entire water. They would make it work, okay? “They will be with me once you’re done, do wear the boxers though. The rest, undershirt, stockings, boots, came with the armour, so underwear is the only thing you need to wear here in the resting room. Dry yourself with the towel. Goodness, I sound like a mom giving instructions to a kid washing alone for the first time… Anyway, I’ll be waiting.” And her head disappeared from the doorway.

   The Hunters shared glances, and X smiled. “It arrived so quickly. Now we’ll just have to wait for mine. It’s great, though, I think… your armour suits you better.” He crouched by the basin, testing the temperature of the water more instinctively than anything. “And even when you’re not wearing your red armour, you have your underarmour now, which becomes you more than what Alia gave us. I still appreciate that she went out of her way to get some clothes for us, but, these aren’t the best…” And he paused to look at what he was wearing himself; blue pants and a long-sleeved shirt, with sleeves rolled up, ready to help his lover bathe, and normal leather shoes. The colours weren’t bad, but he missed his own armour. “Are you ready?”

   The blond exhaled slowly. “As Reploids, we never had to worry about any of this… We’ll get used to it, though. Changing clothes and bathing often. Seems like something for a world delved in peace—we won’t really have time for that in times of war. That’s why we have to fight, so there will be time for the mundane in the future. It seems… like we all need a little mundane… I’m ready.” He nodded, and though this was still kind of new for him, he’d learned how to strip effectively instead of taking five minutes in the same accessory. Shoes and socks were the easiest, and then removing his arms from the sleeves and getting the shirt off over his head, pale skin being revealed on the way. Pants sometimes had buttons, but they were easy to handle, and slipping both them and the boxers off was no hard task. Cold was an old friend by now, but the water was lukewarm, just so he wouldn’t be freezing or similar. For now, he kept his waterfall of hair in its usual ponytail, stepping into the basin carefully and then sitting inside, getting used to this feeling of water on nude skin as opposed to mostly on his armour. “So… soap, water, and scrubbing, I reckon?”

   “Yes, correct.” The brunet grabbed a cup, taking some of the basin’s water in it and pouring it over his partner’s body. “And this is how we have to do with a basin… I think. I don’t want to wash your hair just yet.” And his form was so beautiful, his chest and breasts and slim appearance and pale thighs he wanted to squeeze and his cute, cute genitals—which he’d noticed, were bigger than his own. He was humming as he poured more water on the other, rubbing some soap on one of his hands and washing him with it, Zero doing the same. X gently rubbed and caressed his sides, his back, and it earned him breaths of relaxation, especially as he massaged sore spots on his shoulder blades. Each little noise he managed to draw from his loved one was like a tiny victory, and it added up, and it was kind of hard for him to resist the urge to simply embrace the other from the back. Not now, he kept telling himself, he’d get wet and that was bad with clothes on, and at this moment he needed to focus on getting the man clean so he could try out his armour. It didn’t stop the blue Hunter from getting delighted at massaging him, though.

   “You’re…good at this.” Zero let out a curt breath of a chuckle, and his breathing pattern staggered as his partner pressed _firmly_ against two spots in his lower back.

   “I’ve always wanted to try this out.” X more or less giggled, a little proud of himself. “We all always had so much armour on the way, it was difficult. So it feels good?” Despite armour covering most of their Reploid bodies, there were still some uncovered parts, like arms and thighs, so the brunet would squeeze them regardless, and squishing the red Hunter’s thighs garnered _quite_ responsive reactions. He’d also grabbed Axl’s sides once, and the other had flushed incredibly and hugged himself on the same spots afterwards, as if to protect them. X couldn’t help it; he liked eliciting adorable (or sexy) reactions from his two sweethearts.

   The blond was similar; though quieter about his desires, he enjoyed these reactions just as much, but had never had the courage to do anything such as touching Axl in certain ways before the three of them had truly realized where their hearts also lay. They’d cuddled before, though, and it had felt great. The younger Reploid had been so exhausted, and insisted on staying up, but then Zero had pulled him in and made him lie down on his sitting form. There were weak protests, but ultimately they simply snuggled together, and X joined them soon afterwards, hugging them both from the side. It was something they thought the auburn-haired male needed; physical affection. They didn’t know if he’d had any of that sort of affection in Red Alert, but even if he had, they wanted him to feel comfortable like this with Maverick Hunters, too. And they felt him relax completely, with their own bodies, even, and it had felt so snug and cozy and nice. Eventually, Axl fell asleep with them like this, and the other two refused to move, refused to wake him and ruin such a peaceful moment so soon. It was something they never regretted, none of them. If anything, that cuddling session had only made their bond grow stronger.

   And the blue Hunter was a cuddle bunny, honestly. “Yes, it does. I wished you’d continue for some time… but I’m nearly done. I think.” Zero was unsure about it, if only because he had no idea how to properly wash the lower regions that were new to him, but he did his best, so he might have done a good job. It wasn’t like there was any dirt really visible for him to wash, which seemed counterintuitive, but Alia had said washing was necessary anyway because of the oils the body formed along the days, so he cleaned everything as told. Just because it wasn’t visible didn’t mean there wasn’t anything there, right?

   He had to squeeze his eyes shut as his lover poured a cupful of water right on his head, glimmering slivers of liquid cascading down the golden strands that framed his face. Soon afterwards, he felt the hairband holding his ponytail together be pulled off, and X moved his hair about a little so it would behave more like free strands as opposed to tied up ones. “I wouldn’t mind doing this more often, you know. Washing your hair.” And then he poured more water over his head, the length of his hair, and it took some time to get everything wet enough for shampoo, but they managed.

   As the strands on the bottom were gently scrubbed, the blond pondered over how he loved when the other played with his hair. Whether it was brushing it or tying it or making braids or caressing the top, he simply adored it. It was a gesture of affection and closeness that had always been there since the start, and it felt like it conveyed their relationship well. His partner was rarely without his helmet, but there would be times where he’d return the favour, running his fingers through the shorter, brown strands. Axl had brushed his hair, once, but he’d been so shy about it, despite the fact that it had always been noticeable in his eyes how he’d always wanted to do that. From now on, it would become a much more common occurrence, hopefully. He wondered how it would feel, to have two people pampering his hair at once. Axl’s own auburn hair was a curiosity, sticking out in semi-spiky, thick strands, but he’d seen him without his helmet at least once before, and the hair on his front was normal, with fringe nearly covering his eyes at all times. Still slightly pointy, but not too unusual. It wasn’t like all of their fringes didn’t cover they eyes every now and then either, they just didn’t mind, especially when their helmets usually pulled the fringes back. ‘Don’t put your helmet on right after washing your hair,’ Alia had said. ‘It might get stuffy and your head could get full of removable skin.’ They didn’t understand it at all, but it was better to listen to her, if she knew what she was talking about.

   Working his way from the bottom to the top of the waterfall of hair, X eventually reached his head, and poured another cup before scrubbing, then massaging his scalp, foam being created in abundance. It just felt so nice, Zero couldn’t help a soft moan of appreciation, allowing the other to take his time with each spot. His eyes were closed, to protect them from water and shampoo, tiny droplets resting on his eyelashes. His lover was humming a song as he worked, and it was adorable really, a song he recognized from their early months together, which made him smile. With relaxation washing over him, he hummed along, his deep tone merging with the blue Hunter’s lighter one, creating a soulful melody of peace. This was a happy moment for them, dearly beloved in so many instances of war. Maybe when this was all over, they’d have more occasions like this, calm, “mundane”. In the far future, they could even have children of their own, who would hopefully partake in a world of general peace. Maybe some Mavericks here and there, but who would the Maverick Hunters be without them? They were born as fighting Reploids, and that should be their fate. Admittedly, spending years without fighting at all would be a little weird. But they didn’t want any wars, either. Not Sigma, not Heidi.

   “Hey… Zero…” The humming had faded, and X started washing the shampoo off his hair. “Do you think… Axl is going to be okay? Yesterday, when he talked to us, I think… I think he was crying.” It had been hard to not notice the staggered breaths, the hitch in his voice. It was similar, yet so different from anything they’d ever heard coming from him before. They’d caught him pant until he was about to pass out, sneeze, cough, and with a hoarse voice, but what they’d heard the previous day sounded so much like the signals of someone who was crying. Not like a kid, no whines, no sobs or sniffles, just… the breaths, the way his voice sounded. They were worried, of course, but didn’t ask about it, so involved in letting him know how much they loved him, too. Did that calm him down? They surely hoped so. Perhaps they could try contacting him later in the day, instead of waiting for him to do so. If he was in the middle of spying, he just wouldn’t need to respond, simple.

   “I think so too.” The red Hunter looked down at the basin, the lone bubbles and foam floating on the surface. “He’s strong, I think he will be okay. Our reassurance must have strengthened him—now he knows his feelings are reciprocated. He’ll want to do his best to come back to us alive and make us proud. We can check in on him later, but he’ll most likely be fine, especially if this scientist he told us about is really as neutral as he said he was. Like Signas mentioned, now he probably has a hub on Heidi, so as long as he manages to get back to that room, he’ll be fine. If the person with him can be trusted, I bet his first steps as a human won’t be too bad, either. He shouldn’t… starve him or anything, I would hope.”

   There was a muffled groan as a crimson towel was dropped on his head, and the brunet started ruffling the top of the hair to dry it. “I wonder how he is doing right now?...”

 

   Nothing he hadn’t done, basically. Axl was lying down on Cid’s bed (that was the man’s nickname, he’d learned; he’d insisted for him to take it while he slept on the floor, and really, last night he’d been so distraught be barely protested), staring at the ceiling and simply trying to understand what he was feeling. As for the previous night, he’d sat smiling and crying on the bathroom floor, eyes closed in the darkness, for a few more dozen minutes or so, before he made sure his face was dried to get out of the small chamber. The scientist had only inquired if he had contacted his friends, but nothing else, and explained how the visit had in fact been a coworker who came to talk, but a servant arrived with food in the middle of the conversation, too. It was a plate with cut vegetables, beans, rice and meat, and he showed it to the human-Reploid and explained food for some time, before eating the meal himself. The rest of the short evening had them talking about food and nutrients, though admittedly, X and Zero were in Axl’s mind all the time. Eventually the pain in his insides made Cid suggest that he went to sleep, even though he had woken up just a few hours before. ‘You can just call me Cid,’ he’d said. ‘That’s what everyone calls me; Doctor Cid, but there is no need to call me Doctor. I’m here to help you now.’

   Honestly, he’d been too pained and emotionally drained to inquire further, so he slept until morning, and when he woke, the researcher was nowhere to be seen. As the auburn-haired male didn’t have any device installed in him to bypass the security on the door, he couldn’t even get out to do anything related to his mission. He’d tried checking the computers on the room, but they all required a password, as did the laptop. Further investigation didn’t lead anywhere useful; there were packs of biscuits, candies and snacks in a corner of the large desk, a white porcelain tea set, paper handkerchiefs, bottled honey, salt, sugar, a canteen with coffee, bread, plates and cups. In the refrigerator, there were water bottles (which could come in handy, as he felt like he needed water, and he’d drank his given bottle in its entirety the previous day), fruits and fruit juices, milk, cheese, soda, and butter. There was nothing new in the bathroom; a bath-shower, sink, two hand towels, two normal towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste. He still had no idea what that chair-like thing with water inside was, but it was better if he didn’t touch it.

   There was really nothing else he could explore inside this room, and it was a good thing he got to know it, because if this would be his hub in Heidi, it was better if he was aware of everything inside it so he would feel as comfortable as possible in such a different environment. It was still all very new, but in a few days it would probably get to be pretty limited. People really did live in apartments as small as this, though. He learned about it.

   The pain of the previous days wasn’t as prevalent now, but there was this feeling in his lower abdomen that just wouldn’t go away, and seemed to grow with each passing moment he’d spent exploring and lying down on the bed, since he woke up. It was just so… strange, but it reminded him of Alia’s explanatory speech back when he was in headquarters still, when Zero transformed into a human. He felt… full, so full, if he could describe it as that, and it was as if something wanted to leave him, which he guessed was the voiding she talked about. But if it was kind of toxic, where should he urinate? The feeling sent a tingle up his spine, and he shivered, exhaling slowly as he nearly instinctively drew his legs together to put pressure in his crotch. Perhaps he shouldn’t have ignored it for so long, because now it was so insistent, what he could only guess was his bladder throbbing and throbbing and it just wouldn’t stop. He sat up, but that was a bad idea, because a wave of desperation hit him, and he almost started releasing right then and there as he had to squeeze his groin with his hands to attempt to stop his body from reigning over him. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his stiff armour didn’t help—he’d have to remove it at least.

   When the stronger wave was more or less over, he was panting, and slowly opened his eyes again to try and figure out how to strip. It didn’t seem like his lower half armour opened up (yet), so he removed his leg armour pieces and had to basically shimmy the crotch armour down his legs. He still had his stockings, and shirt, but now his lower half was entirely exposed, something he hadn’t expected, since there were other clothes on his body. Oh well, at least it wasn’t feeling so tight now—at least, only on the outside, because his insides were tense from trying to hold in what was inside his bladder. Looking at his member with a little curiosity, he touched its soft surface lightly, but it was a bad idea, because even this light touch was enough to send him into another wave of desperation and he had to squeeze the base, hard. Actually, he really couldn’t hold on for much longer, especially exposed like this, so the most he could do was move to the end of the bed and raise himself on his knees. Swallowing thickly, a flush coming up to adorn his cheeks, he simply hoped that this wouldn’t be too bad, because he had no idea how to deal with this, and he just couldn’t take it anymore, his bladder felt like it was bursting—

   And he gently stopped squeezing his length, a little dribble of urine coming out almost immediately, and the liquid caressed his urethra as the dribbles built up to an even flow. It was all falling onto the floor, quickly creating a puddle, but it only concerned Axl in the first moments, because soon he felt an immense bout of relief, and it just felt so _good_. Was voiding supposed to be this pleasurable? He allowed himself to close his eyes, the hissing sound of the thick stream a new experience to his ears, and he held onto himself almost fondly. Tingles were running about his nerves, and he exhaled a little shakily, basking in the pleasure of it all while it lasted.

   The puddle grew in size, but he wasn’t done yet, urine still sloshing about his swollen bladder. He didn’t know if this was a healthy or normal amount, but what did it matter, now that everything had already been done? If Cid hated him for this, then so be it, but this was the nicest physical feeling he’d ever experienced, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Stray drops dotted wherever the pond hadn’t reached, and the liquid was so clear, almost like water. He didn’t understand why it was even meant to be expelled, but the less “toxic” it actually was, the better. The floor would survive, for sure.

   Tensing up his bladder some more this time made the glimmering stream turn into a gush, and it felt absolutely amazing against his urethra, the friction on his sensitive skin. A shiver wracked his form, and now his bladder was emptying much quicker, until the gush became a mere sliver. Axl took in a deep breath, overwhelmed, and opened his eyes until they were half-lidded, verdant orbs glazed over, as the sliver continued for a dozen seconds or so before it became a dribble. Curiosity got the best of him, so he squeezed his length from base to tip, more urine coming out, but that was about it. To let the last drops off his slit, he then shook himself, and it felt so peculiar, how this new organ worked for him. Sending a last look to the large puddle he’d created, he slowly laid down, and took another deep breath. It had felt so exhilarating—would all the subsequent times feel this good, too? His penis tingled, a tiny bit aroused, but he didn’t understand it. Perhaps he should ask Cid about all this…  after he came back, that is.

   He closed his eyes once more.

 

   The human-Reploid had just gotten dressed again (he really needed a better crotch armour now) when voices on his transmitter startled him, but he paid attention to them immediately. “Axl, can you hear us? It’s X and Zero.”

   “I can hear you clearly. Is something the matter? I didn’t expect you to contact me first.” He leaned on the pillow on the headboard, placing a hand on the ear of his helmet.

   “All is fine here, in fact, Zero’s armour just arrived today, and he took a bath, too. He wasn’t even supposed to have his helmet on right now, but we wanted to talk to you, so…” X fell quiet for a moment, and then spoke up, “We were wondering how you are doing today. Yesterday you seemed distraught, so we were worried…”

   The previous night. Yes, he had been with emotions raging strong at that moment, but after knowing his feelings were reciprocated, after telling them how he truly felt, he felt much better. It was like a dream come true, and much better than he had expected it to turn out. In the previous transmissions before that, he had wondered about saying ‘I love you’ before they ended, but it really had been an internal battle of realizing he was in love for the first time and mustering up enough courage to speak up what he felt. Yesterday had been when it all peaked. “I’m alright, you don’t need to worry about me. Sorry about yesterday… The feelings were just getting the better of me, is all. I’m not even feeling that much pain anymore.” And it was true; it seemed like the brunt of the transformation had already passed. “Zero took a bath? Aw, I wished I could have seen that—I kind of… I kind of wanted to wash his hair, someday.” He confessed, thinking that it was now okay to speak up about his little desires, as well.

   In Maverick Hunters headquarters, the red Hunter was already dressed in his armour, and felt much, much more comfortable in it, and it kind of felt like an extended reward after the pampering he’d received in the bath. Like X had said, he was wearing his helmet to talk to Axl, despite what Alia had told them. His cheeks had a little colour in them from the younger human-Reploid’s comment. “It’s not too exciting to bathe, unless you have someone like X taking care of you. I’m sure I’ll see no problem in you doing the same to me in the near future. You can do anything you want to my hair, I don’t mind.”

   “You can do anything you want to my hair, too.” The brunet added, still on the slow process of drying and brushing his lover’s lovely locks. “How about we do the same to yours when you come back? You deserve a long, relaxing bath—right now we only have a basin, but it’s the thought that counts, right? We had fun.”

   It was so heartwarming to hear, how the two of them were already so comfortable around him. It was as if a barrier had never existed between them in the first place. They were offering to be pampered, and offering to pamper _him_ , and it just felt great. He was now allowed to do everything that was previously only done between the two, welcomed into their life, and it was everything he’d ever wanted but at first didn’t know he did. He’d been so young… A warm smile painted his lips. “I deserve that? Only if I succeed in the mission, guys. If I get caught, it might not be instant deactivation anymore, but I can still fail it… and don’t think you’re off the hook either, X, me and Zero will drop you in that water.”

   “Ah, but, but my hair is so short compared to you two…” The blue Hunter was flustered. “I mean, you can do whatever you want to me, but… I’ll get to you first. I don’t care if you don’t find out much before you get back, you deserve all the love we can give you, and risking your life to get where you are now is already worthy of rewards. Just take our love, don’t impose such objectives on yourself.”

   “I just have to prove myself to the two strongest Reploids—well, now humans—in the world. Even if they’re my lovers now.” Axl’s smile widened into a grin. “Does that mean I can tickle you?”

   “Axl, you don’t have to prove yourself to us. We already respect you, and love you unconditionally. You didn’t need to try so hard, but you’ve earned our respect a long while ago. Why else we would have become so fond of you?” The blond pointed out, a subtle purr in his voice from his hair being tended to.

   X was silent for a few moments, still flustered. “Zero’s right—and, er, I… I guess you can. Just don’t tickle me too much. I don’t want to die. Tickle Zero instead.”

   “Please don’t tickle me.” The red Hunter deadpanned.

   The auburn-haired male couldn’t help laughing at that, pearly, sharp teeth showing; these two were so precious, how was it possible? Who would have thought the world’s strongest would be such adorable dorks? “You better keep your bellies covered when I come back.” He breathed, relaxing against the pillow. “And your mouths. If you don’t, I won’t stop kissing you. I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”

   “I don’t have any protests to that.” The brunet smiled, drying the tips of his partner’s hair again. It felt good to hear the younger’s laughter after the crying of the previous day. “We are ready for you. By the way, this reminds me, did you eat? Are you hungry?”

   So invested he’d been in his sweethearts, that Axl had nearly forgotten where he was, and the fact that he was still alone and locked up inside a room in Heidi. “Well, no, I didn’t eat, I don’t know if I can yet. I think Cid—the scientist—has to scan me first. He’s not here right now, and he wasn’t ever since I woke up, so I’ve just been locked up in his room since then. He was supposed to make my data recognizable to the door mechanism, but he didn’t do that yet, so I can’t leave. I’m basically doing nothing in here, because I can’t access his computers, either. But, hey… I… voided, right? So I think the transformation is nearly done?”

   “You don’t think it’s a trap, do you?” Zero inquired, raising an eyebrow.

   “If you urinated, that means your blood is flowing and being filtrated, so that’s good. Is this Cid’s room like a little apartment with a bathroom with a toilet in it and all? Me and Zero just have a trashcan for now…” X mentioned.

   “Uhh, I don’t think it’s a trap, but if it is, I’ll be ready to shoot them straight into oblivion. Yeah, it has a bathroom, but what is a toilet?” The human-Reploid looked towards the aforementioned chamber. “Is it that seat-like thing?”

   “You don’t know what a toilet is?” The blue Hunter blinked, and truly he couldn’t judge, especially since they were the ones with the privilege of having Pallette’s and Layer’s resume, but… “I don’t think I mind, but Axl… where did you urinate?”

   “Please don’t kill me.” The auburn-haired male exhaled, fidgeting with the cloth of his thigh. “I didn’t know where to go, and the feeling was so insistent—I just… I just released on the floor of the main room. Is that really bad? Will I get in trouble with Cid?”

   Zero and X shared a look, before the former spoke up, “I don’t see any problem with it. Urine is completely harmless, as far as I can tell. And you didn’t even eat anything yet, so yours must be almost as clear and clean as water. I don’t know what the scientist will think about it, humans seem to fuss over this kind of thing a lot, but it’s not a bad thing at all. You’ve just transformed, and received barely any information on humans, it’s completely acceptable. So just try to relax about it, okay? If we could send the resume over to you, we would, but we can’t, so if you can get some basic information from Cid, I would recommend it.”

   “If I don’t get kicked out of his room.” The younger muttered. “I just wanted to be back already, but I’ll try and get him to make it so that I’m allowed through the door and then explore Heidi more from there. I don’t even know in which floor I am.” He had looked through the window, but the only thing he had been able to make out was that he was probably five or six stories high. “I’ll do my best to find out who their leader is, and what they’re really trying to do inside here. I miss you two…” The sound of the door recognizing someone startled him, and he hastily took his boots and hid in the bathroom, just in case. “Someone’s coming, I hope it’s Cid—Sorry to cut the transmission off so abruptly, but I have to make sure. I love you. Axl out.”

   He closed and locked the door, leaning against it as he heard someone come in, and then close the door. There was silence for a few moments, but then Cid’s familiar voice reached his ears, “Axl? You did well in hiding, but it’s me. You can come out now.”

   Giving the researcher his name had been the result of yet another internal battle, because he could have been recognized by name. Everyone knew about Maverick Hunters, and they knew about X and Zero, so there was the possibility they had information on him. He had never bothered to look up if there was anything about him publicly in the worldwide web, but after knowing Maverick Hunters were out for them, Heidi might have invested in research about them moreso than the common people cared. It took a few hours and a promise from Cid he wouldn’t look him up, but at last he gave him his first and only name before drifting off to sleep. Most Reploids like him, like them, didn’t have a surname, he reckoned; no parents to pass the name down, no tribes which they belonged to. It was up to their creators to name them, and it seemed like they didn’t bother to give more than a first name. Well, at least it was better to have an actual name than the one of a machine, like AC-785, but the difference made some feel more detached from the humans. Axl actually didn’t even know who gave him that name, if it had been the one who created him, if it had been Red, but he didn’t personally mind not having a surname. X and Zero did not seem to mind, either. They were born fighting, so having an actual name to be remembered by was a blessing. It was as if their creators wanted them to be more than simple robots.

   As he had not heard any extra footsteps accompanying Cid’s, he unlocked the door and carefully opened it just the slightest bit, looking through the crack. It was indeed just the man there, so he opened the door more, but didn’t do much besides simply stand where he was, bracing himself for the question that would certainly come.

   “You didn’t point your weapons at me, so I consider it a good thing. I thought of bringing you a better breakfast than the simple stuff I have in here, but I would need to scan you one more time to be sure if you can eat—and by the way, this isn’t water on the floor, I suppose?” The older male walked to his desk, turning on his laptop, but his gaze didn’t quite leave the other occupant of the room.

   Here it was. The human-Reploid took in a deep breath. “… No, it isn’t. I’m sorry. I had no idea—”

   Cid waved his hand around as if to tell him to stop talking, and logged into the laptop. “I see, I see, there is no need for apologies. I wasn’t aware of how much knowledge on human basics you had, aside from what I gathered with the food talk, but I should have assumed this as well. I didn’t know how quickly you were transforming either, if your organs would only truly start working days or a week later, but now I see that you’re readier than I thought. This is nothing a mop can’t handle—or maybe a few mops… the quantity is quite… large. Did you feel any pain?”

   Axl stopped for a moment, relieved that the other’s reaction wasn’t negative at all. It seemed like his hub was safe. “Not really… I mean, if you’re talking about this.” Only pleasure. Was I supposed to feel pleasure? “Still some normal transformation pains, though, but it seems like it’s almost over. Are you going to take a look at me?”

   “Yes I am. Lie down on the bed, please.”

   Picking his boots up again and setting them at the foot of the bed, the auburn-haired male sat on the mattress, and then laid down, taking in another deep breath. This wasn’t new—with Doctor Cid it was, but being scanned or analyzed wasn’t. And it always felt so, so uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be too bad if he wasn’t prodded, but it always just made him feel so self-aware. He felt like he was hiding a terrible secret, one which even he didn’t know about, and that with each analyzing session, by Lifesavers or whoever it was, whatever this secret was would be found out. He’d had nightmares after Lumine; being hit with the tendrils in several other places, and every time they would end up finding more and more solid inky substances within him, as if there was no end to them. Just when he thought he was okay and was rid of all of them, they’d find more. It was terrifying, but the nightmares where Zero and X would be hit by the tentacles instead were even worse. Offhandedly X one day had commented, about how he was worried with both Zero and Axl seeming to have troubled sleep all the time. He’d see their distressed expressions through the glass of the resting capsules, and wished that there was something he could do about it. Would it be different from now on, now that they were human? Would the nightmares stop?

   “Well, well…” Cid hummed, interrupting him from his thoughts. “It seems like your digestive system is complete. By the looks of it, there isn’t anything missing… you might be able to eat. You could even get pregnant now and have a healthy child, if you wanted to, because I see nothing wrong with your uterus. You can impregnate too, because your genitals are fully formed as well as testicles, prostate, and other hormonal glands. Maybe there might be a thing or two that still needs to be transformed, but congratulations, you’re a fully-fledged human now. Interesting, isn’t it? A few days ago, you were completely a Reploid. It’s fascinating, really.”

   So the transformation was nearly done. Thankfully, because the pains he’d felt on Monday had been nightmarish. As a human now, he should probably… learn about basic human everyday life, yes, but he also had to make sure he was still able to transform into other Reploids. He couldn’t do it in front of Cid, but the sooner, the better. It was very important that he knew, for this would be his tool in spying Heidi. If he had lost that ability, he would be forced to retreat to headquarters, having gathered little information. Right now, though, he could only wait, since the scientist was here, and he couldn’t even get past the door of this room. As of pregnancy… he’d never thought about it, really, but wasn’t averse to the idea. Having children with the two most important people in the world to him? Sure, he could do that, he’d make a great father. They’d make great fathers. But this was future plans; Heidi was a great concern of current times, and they had to focus on stopping it more than anything else. After it was done and the organization was defeated, then they could think about stuff like children. He really _had_ changed; back when he first joined Maverick Hunters, he used to place missions above everything else, and wouldn’t hesitate in turning down the idea of kids of his own when asked about it, preferring to focus on missions alone. Now, he was more than aware that Hunter tasks were not the only thing he should worry or care about, because he had a mind of his own and personality of his own and a life of his own to take care of, and he should want to rest and relax and have fun, and want breaks and leisure besides fighting, and he had all of the communication team back at headquarters and X and Zero beside him, filling his days with joyful companionship. There was much more to the world than fighting Mavericks, and he was glad that he lived long enough to truly realize that.

   “Can you make me able to access the door mechanism, and teach me more about human ways?” He tentatively asked, turning his head towards the researcher.

   “Why, of course. Take a seat, let’s talk over bread and biscuits.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My OT3 being cute together even when they are apart, aaaaah. The lovers' banter part was so heartwarming to write, I loved it.


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axl and Cid start talking, and each side discovers more of the other through a new bargain.

   Biscuits and bread had a nice taste, Axl reckoned. Whether he was already supposed to be enjoying any flavour or not, he didn’t know, but he assumed it was a good thing. Better than disliking it, or his stomach rejecting the food—at least, nothing really bad had happened until now. No pains or feeling of sickness, nothing. But that wasn’t even where most of his focus lay currently, since Doctor Cid proved to be a good conversationalist. The newly-turned man realized after many shared sentences that, he’d almost never had this kind of interaction before. Simply sitting down and talking to a scientist, an older person, as opposed to just Reploids and Mavericks. Not even Reploid scientists, probably. It had mostly always been… find a target, fight, stay undercover, the most voiced being curt banter before a battle. There were no recollections of sharing his time with the elderly, not that Cid was very old yet, but it counted. They seemed to be so knowledgeable. How could scientists be able to create a whole person, a Reploid, purely out of their own wisdom and a few tools? It was something he’d always wanted to know, but probably wouldn’t understand the details if he asked.

   “So there really isn’t a problem?” The shorter male came to ask, seeking reassurance as he fiddled with an empty teacup. He had been offered tea and coffee, but turned them down for now in favour of more water.

   Cid made a dismissive gesture, adding a few things to his own resume he was writing for the younger. “Bah, it’s nothing really, I don’t know why you’re so flustered over it. The only thing that will change is a cleaning machine—not a Reploid—coming here earlier to clean this up. They were not even programmed to recognize anything but dirt, so you don’t even need to hide when they come. Just stop worrying about it. How was your upbringing, did everyone fuss over cleaning things too much?”

   His upbringing? Using his powers and skills to fight Mavericks for Red Alert. Basically. “Uh… no, not really. Not too much.” Red liked being neat, and he liked having his own things organized, but nothing else. He was just really worried about these new human ways he was just now learning about. “What makes you think I am going to tell you details about my life?” He muttered.

   “Because…” The Doctor typed a few more things, “If you tell me about yourself, I will tell you about Heidi.”

   …Sneaky old man. Axl felt like glaring at him, but it wasn’t hate as much as it was feeling cornered, manipulated. So he just squinted in his direction.

   “I know you will dislike me for it, but hey, it’s more than a fair trade, am I not right? Revealing what I know about this entire organization in return for knowing about a single ex-Reploid. I could have requested more, really, but this is all I’m asking.” Cid hummed, keeping that cool scientific aura of always. “You can’t kill me, because you’re here as a spy, and you need the information.”

   “What do you want from me?” The auburn-haired male groaned, and no, he’d never thought that it would come down to him having to kill the researcher, except for the first seconds he woke up in his room and pointed Axl Bullets at him. It just didn’t feel right, if what the other was saying was true. Why get rid of someone who didn’t support Heidi? And if he did that, they would discover he was missing, and immediately be aware of a spy in their midst and get defensive. He had to gather as much information as possible before that happened, prevent as many casualties as possible for civilians and Maverick Hunters and buy his comrades more time to build up a human army, X and Zero also learning magic under an instructor. This all had to happen hopefully before he’d be discovered, if he was discovered at all. To get to know him seemed like a ruse to find out who he was working for as a spy, to see where to attack next, but if so, why was he offering to share Heidi’s secrets in turn? It couldn’t be because he’d be killed soon, because he could just as easily inform his finds to headquarters as soon as Cid spilled them. This man sure was different…

   “Is it too much for a more or less retired researcher to ask, to know about a Reploid’s life? You, sir, are an interesting person, whom I simply would like to know better. It’s not every day that an opportunity like this collapses in the middle of the corridor in front of me. I had expected you to break out of my grasp almost immediately, but here you are, still around, and we are holding a nice banter like old friends. Why not keep it this way, perhaps without secrets between us anymore?”

   The logic of a ruse didn’t match up. It seemed like the other was doing all of this out of the curiosity of his own heart. He hadn’t been retired—killed yet, which was a good thing, but still, could he be just a toy for Heidi to play with? Was there a disaster waiting to happen? Cid could have told all of his coworkers about him, and they could have decided to keep him around to draw information from him. Really, there was nothing he could do but refuse the offer, but if he did so, he could be missing out on crucial information for him to more or less safely tread through the building and also elements he’d have to find out eventually anyway, like who the leader of this organization was and what they were doing. He hoped he was right in accepting the bargain… at least, he hoped headquarters would be left alone. If the scientist started asking about security measures in Maverick Hunters and subjects like that, he’d just drop out from the agreement. The safety of his friends was far more important than his own, and than getting a few bits of information earlier.

   Axl took in a deep breath, more or less slumping on the chair. “That’s sneaky, you know.”

   “Would you have told me anything about yourself otherwise?” Cid inquired, sending him a sideways glance.

   Shaking his head, the black Hunter decided to put the teacup away before he broke it. “Know that I’ll drop the deal if you ask for too many details.”

   “I’ll say it now that I am in fact looking forward to your friends coming here and razing down this building, but it is you who chooses what to do about this bit of information.” The older male said plainly, readjusting his glasses. “Well well, but who are your friends? You were talking to them last night, I presume.”

   “Mostly two of them.” The auburn-haired one mumbled, then sent the other occupant of the room a look. “You weren’t eavesdropping, were you?”

   “I was paying attention to my visits, so no.” A shrug, “I couldn’t make out any words.”

   “Good.” Because there was no one else he trusted being with him in his moments of weakness besides Zero and X. He must have cried at least once in his life, in Red Alert probably, but he didn’t remember clearly. Certainly, he hadn’t done it after he joined Maverick Hunters. Until the previous night, that was, and he was glad it had been with them, nobody else, even if they were so far apart and the other two could not see his tears. They’d already seen him at his lows, sick and wounded and exhausted, and though at first he’d worried the two seemingly serious Hunters would think of him as a weight, with time he just grew to trust them in his times of vulnerability. He didn’t mind being carried all the way back from a mission, nearly losing consciousness. But the Lifesavers, he didn’t feel comfortable around. Alia, Pallette, Layer, Douglas, Signas… it wasn’t like he didn’t trust them, but it just felt different. He wouldn’t want them to see him in his times of weakness. They were friends, yes, trusty allies, but the bond between them kind of stopped there. With X and Zero, it ran deeper, much deeper than they’d at first realized. And between them, there should be no barriers anymore. No hiding, no secrets. He trusted them with his life.

   “And who are those two?” The scientist might not have been able to make out words, but he surely had noticed something was amiss. There had been a weak, exposed tone coming from inside the bathroom. And the other male had seemed much more distraught after leaving it, his mind elsewhere even during their conversation. Right now, it was much the same, after mentioning these people; the younger’s mind was wandering. “They seem to be very… special, to you. What are their names?”

   “If I tell you their names, in turn I’ll want the name of Heidi’s leader.” Axl offered, resting his hands on top of each other. Of course, revealing he worked for Maverick Hunters was something that would be brought up sooner or later, and it wasn’t surprising, actually. He wouldn’t be exposing his “spouses”, because honestly their names were thrown around often. They knew X and Zero existed. There was no hiding something that was a bit obvious to begin with. And they _were_ special—was the man telling the truth when he said he didn’t hear him talking?

   “Deal. I’ll give you her name. So do comply with your end of the bargain.”

   “Alright.” The black Hunter fiddled with the fabric of his glove. “Their names are X and Zero.”

   There was a pause, as the Doctor stroked his beard. So Maverick Hunters it was, and he should have known, for they were the most resourceful resistance to have gone up against Heidi yet. “So they’re your… friends?”

   “… Best friends.” The former Reploid exhaled, attempting to make his face seem blank, instead of losing himself in giddiness and fond smiles over how he could freely use these meaningful words to describe his relationship with the two.

   Cid raised an eyebrow at the response, though, and under his questioning look, Axl rolled his eyes and crossed his legs and arms. “Okay, lovers. They’re my lovers. Satisfied?” It was certainly satisfying to refer to them as that out loud, but this wasn’t quite the right person to say this to. “Now to your end of the agreement.”

   “Ah, this is assuredly new. Didn’t know the strongest Reploids had a companion—and each other as well, I presume. Fascinating. Did you know that I used to think Reploids could not love as we humans do, back when I was a young student? Oh, but I hoped otherwise, because there was a woman that caught my eye, and turned out she was a Reploid. But I was too young, too naïve, and it was not to last. I’ll never forget her, but the end of the story isn’t sad. Later I would marry a human, and we had a beautiful son together, Ffamran—he went on to later call himself Balthier, though. The little rebel, he partook in research with me as a teenager but then left home and took off to the skies as a Sky Pirate. Hard to not have heard of his deeds, his treasure hunting and airship and being sought by several bounty hunters. If I stopped to worry about that boy, I would have been dead by now… but enough about this old man’s life, I’ll hold true to my end of the deal.” And he went on to open a few things in his laptop.

   There were people who thought Reploids could not love as humans did…? The auburn-haired male was a little shocked, but then again, Heidi existed, and it could be full of these kinds of people. It sickened him, really, and he was glad Doctor Cid had grown out of it. They really weren’t just machines—it was true that he didn’t know how Reploids worked, but they did, and the fact that nothing in his personality and feelings had changed between then, when he was a Reploid, and now, that he was mostly human, was enough proof that there was nothing that made them different besides strictly the physical. Which just made the Heidi apparent goal of retiring all Reploids—mass murder—terrifying and bone-chilling. That was why knowing the name of the person who lead all of this was so important, among other bits of information he’d have to gather.

   And it shouldn’t have been surprising that someone Cid’s age was married and with children, but it was certainly a bit amusing to dab into the thought that his son would become a rogue Sky Pirate where the father was a (perhaps) recluse researcher. Maverick Hunters at times would be requested to deal with pirates of all kinds, but he hadn’t heard of a Balthier yet. Perhaps he wasn’t as much of a troublemaker. For a moment, he thought of his own future possible children; they could end up the same, run away and do anything they wanted in life. Even become the leader of an organization like Heidi. It was depressing to think about, really, but controlling his child’s entire life didn’t sit well with him, either. What would happen when he _did_ become a parent, though, if he ever did? Would he be completely different from what he thought he would be? What about X and Zero, who would take care of the children with him, and be their other parents? It was gratifying to think of Zero as a father; that level-headed and collected man playing with kids and carrying babies around. A lovely mental image, that made him not able to deny that yes, maybe children in the future would be good for them.

   “Her name is Hilda de Votte. Daughter of the acclaimed robotics scientist Romeo de Votte, she was thought of as being disappeared from her 25th birthday until now, but most people don’t know she showed up, or that she is the head of Heidi. Around here, we just call her Heidress. It also serves as a codename, so foreigners do not know it’s her. At first she didn’t give us her name either, but some researchers recognized her, so it couldn’t be hidden. What would the daughter of such a prestigious name be doing in a place like this? It makes one wonder.” But it didn’t seem like the older man was not privy to the information. He showed a picture of her in his laptop to the young male he took in.

   Axl leaned a little more forward, trying to see the picture better. It was just a woman with dark hair and dark eyes, wearing a plain but flashy red dress, probably from a party back when she was a “normal” person. The image was in a bio page, and he could read several bits of information about her. Very close to her father, before his untimely death years ago, that was allegedly due to a Reploid that lost control. Months later, she would have disappeared, and nothing else was known about her.

   “I can’t believe this is what she is doing now when she loved her father so much, and he was so ingrained in Reploid research, it seems.” The black Hunter mentioned, disbelief underlying his voice. “What did he do as a scientist, if I may ask?”

   “I gave you an answer, so now it’s your turn again.” Cid pointed out, moving the laptop further away on the desk for a few moments so the other couldn’t touch it. “Why did you accept turning into a human?”

   The answer that had been avoided the previous day now came around again, and the auburn-haired male should have known, because the researcher wouldn’t let the subject that was most interesting to him slip away from his fingers when he could get his answers now. Especially with such a bargain. Manipulative, but he still had agreed to it. He sat back, eyes betraying an unimpressed glint for a few moments. “You have deactivation spells. It would be suicide to go against you as Reploids—”

   “Which didn’t stop your squads from trying—”

   “Yes, because we didn’t know enough about it and not doing anything is even worse. They didn’t want to risk losing me, X or Zero. So these Carbuncles came to us, Zero first, asking if we wanted to become human to have a chance against Heidi, because they thought the balance of the world would be in danger if you won. I wasn’t planning on being part of that, at first, but when one of them came to me, I couldn’t refuse. I think there is a reason Carbuncles don’t get directly involved in this war, but in any case, they’re not fond of this organization, so they helped us.”

   “So you are saying X and Zero are now human as well?” The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, though his eyes remained much the same.

   “Yes, they are, but none of you are supposed to know that.” The younger applied dryly.

   “As you know, I do not have any intentions of telling anyone here about these things. There are no cameras installed in my room as well—as far as I know. If there were, you probably wouldn’t even be here now, none of us would. But that’s juicy information to me; what happened to them, I thought they were only the world’s most powerful as Reploids?” The curiosity would not be quelled, especially because analyzing these two legendary Reploids had always been his—and every scientist’s—dream.

   “After this one, you’ll tell me more about Professor Romeo de Votte.” Axl placed his request, and fidgeted with his hands, feeling clearly his skin beneath the gloves and just how there was actually something underneath all these clothes. “Zero still has his saber, and I would guess his skills with it are the same. His armour arrived today, and it might have the buster equipped. X is still waiting for his own armour, so he might have less attack power while it doesn’t arrive. But they’re both training magic, so if anything, they’ll have a much wider arsenal than before in just a few weeks. I didn’t spend as much time physically with them after they transformed—with X, not at all even—, but, I’m sure they’re the same people. I’m sure they’ll be just as powerful. Shivar said that we would retain all our powers going into human form, so we are all just as able.” He hadn’t tested his own copying powers yet in this form, but he’d do it as soon as his data was programmed to be recognized by the door mechanism. His lovers were still strong men, he was certain. With their armours, they’d be much the same, especially Zero, who could use the Z-Saber regardless of what he was wearing or not wearing. Or not wearing… his mind briefly shifted to the nude form of his companion before he departed for this mission, and he felt desire touch his senses, until the importance of the conversation shifted him to reality.

   “I see… maybe magic is able to do that, though armour is important, even humans can behave like fighting Reploids if they have the proper armour technology. When you mentioned their names, I sort of started hoping they’d come here and destroy everything, but it seems like they’re not ready. That’s why you’re here, presumably.” Cid hummed, and shook his head. “I would proceed with the questions, but alright, I have to hold to my end as well. Doctor Romeo de Votte was a respectable scientist, spending his life constructing remarkable Reploids; athletes, celebrities, brilliant researchers of their own. He would often stay tucked inside his laboratory, researching robotics and Reploid behaviour in general. Because of his superior intellect and the prestige of his creations, he was quickly recognized worldwide, and even received the Snoilmar Prize of Robotics. Though he preferred to stay in his lab, working with his assistants, he was also very charismatic and was not afraid of crowds and fans. Because of his prestige, he was able to turn the world’s attention to Reploids, how they were as human as all of us and how we all should be equal. Before his death by, purportedly, a Reploid who lost control, it was rumoured that he was working on a new project in secret, but that wasn’t released to the press at all, and we still don’t know what it is that he was doing. I’m quite interested in what it could be, though, and I want to get this information out of Hilda eventually. Maybe she knows a lot of things we don’t about her father.”

   Had the younger male even been born before Romeo’s death? The scientist surely wasn’t mentioned as often in the media as he should, either that or Axl simply was not privy to any useful information ever. He certainly had a lot to catch up to, and maybe the navigators—and Cid—could help him with it. “So Doctor De Votte preached equality and his daughter is doing… _this_.” He gestured with a little disgust. “It’s not only you who wants to get information out of her. I certainly would like to know why all of this. I mean, I used to not question anything…” He took in a deep breath, shook his head a little. “I’ll keep the information-train bargain going. Before Maverick Hunters, I used to work for Red Alert. That’s where I “grew up”, technically speaking. I don’t remember anything before it, and it’s only been a year or two since I deserted and was… “taken in”, by Maverick Hunters. You know Red Alert, right? They—we used to be a group that would hunt Mavericks where Maverick Hunters wasn’t doing a lot. X was striving for more peaceful solutions, and I do understand him, but sometimes fighting can’t be helped, especially when dealing with Mavericks. So yeah, back then, I didn’t think a lot, I was probably barely out of my shell—they’d give me missions, and I would accept them and do them, no questions asked. I would treat all my targets as Mavericks. I didn’t stop to think of what could have led them to do what they did. I didn’t stop to question my superior, the mission guidelines. I had never thought, ‘what if these Reploids are just like me?’. But slowly, all of it changed.” The auburn-haired one lowered his head a little, verdant eyes clouded with memories. “With time, I was maturing, though not as much as I’d like—not that I knew it back then. Time and experiences can do a lot to people, it’s natural shaping magic. And then I saw, I realized, what was becoming of Red Alert. It was not only Mavericks we hunted anymore. It was not all we did. And me, I was uncomfortable, anxious, not knowing what was truly happening but knowing that something had _changed_ , and the group was not the same anymore. It was when I became horrified that I deserted them—the man I had regarded as my father had changed, too. I didn’t want to be part of that, and I didn’t want to go back. It was hard for me, to leave Red and my memories of him, but I thought that, if I went about my own way, I could save him. I could make the nonsense stop. That’s when Maverick Hunters found me, and they were not very happy with what I was doing, especially X. Funny, how time changes things.” And the same Hunter who had admonished him for his ways back then was now probably waiting for him at home to greet him with open arms and a kiss. “Working alongside X and Zero, and then for Maverick Hunters, changed me more than anything could ever have. I was young and naïve and not really thoughtful, but now… now I see everything in a much bigger picture. I think about every single one of my missions, I question if this is what I really want every day. And even if we come down to having to kill Hilda in the end, I want to know why Heidi. What led her to do something so evil. It’s the least I can do, so we can all know, and maybe give a voice to the life we are taking. It’s been such a wild ride…” He exhaled, ran a hand through the side of his face.

   There was a moment of silence, with the researcher seeming calmly enraptured by the story. He was thinking about everything he said, but at the same time, did not want to get lost in thoughts and ignore the one he was so curious about. At last, he reached out to pat him on the knee. “I think it’s great that you’ve matured, my boy. There might be no better feeling in the world. It feels so much clearer, so much more liberating, to reach a reasonable level of maturity. It’s as if you are finally aware of yourself as a person, and can express yourself to others. Isn’t it glorious? There is no difference between you and me.” Leaning forward, he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder armour, a supposedly comforting gesture of camaraderie. “I’ve heard of Red Alert, yes. How they were able to accomplish so many missions without people even knowing it was them… missions thought to be impossible by mere rogues. How they would infiltrate places undetected, despite all sorts of security. Around they used to say Red Alert possessed a secret weapon…” Axl’s head raised slowly, and his eyes had widened minimally, unnoticeably. Cid raised his head with him, following his gaze. “And considering how you managed to trespass our own security unbidden, I am led to believe that this secret weapon is sitting right before me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of short, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update. I was distracted with a few things, had a few depressive lows, and stuff like that. Also, Pokémon Go. Maybe with Cid talking about his family, you'll realize who he is, if you know enough about Final Fantasy.


	12. Meet the Army

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooner or later, the subject Axl would have wanted to avoid the most was going to pop up. Magic training, and a nice little surprise for Maverick Hunters.

   Axl felt his heart race, though he did his best to not reveal the nervousness he felt through his expression. It was hard to keep eye contact with the collected scientist, though, who nonetheless had an aura of insistence about him, insistence that he spill the secret. There was no way around this anymore, was there? His powers would be discovered, and who knows what would happen from then on. Trusting Cid enough was something, but… what would happen when he told him about it? And what if his copying abilities didn’t even work anymore, now that he was mostly human? Yet, Shivar’s voice echoed in his mind, its reassurance that his powers would hopefully be kept, and he’d felt the magic, the first push, the second push, the flow of Mist within him even now. There was a Carbuncle somewhere in the vicinity, who did not wish to show itself, syphoning its magic into him for the final bits of the transformation. The researcher _knew_ that there was something with him, and it wasn’t only this becoming human thing.

   “… I’ve told you about Red Alert. So tell me about Heidi’s plans.” The younger man mustered, raising his upper body a little more so their eyes would not be on the same level anymore, lessening the pressure put on him. “I know you’re privy to more information than you let on.”

   Defeated (for now), Cid settled back on his chair properly and crossed his arms. “You know how to take advantage of a deal. Well, Hilda says she wants to get rid of all Reploids, and stop fabrication of them entirely. Yet; you were on the first floor when I found you, so I reckon you must have seen the Reploid labs, right? So yes, though she seems to believe humans are superior and looks towards their supremacy, Heidi is still making Reploids. She says it’s for… a project.”

   Since there was a long pause, the newly-turned human gently pressed, “What kind of project?”

   The reaction drew a small smirk from the older man. “A project about attempting to create Reploids with DNA-copying abilities.”

   There was no way Axl could have helped it, then; he tightened his hold on the chair and verdant eyes widened just enough that it was noticeable. They were—they were trying to make Reploids like him? Lumine had been an example, but, nobody really knew about this technology. Why were they trying this kind of thing, especially while having such savage goals? “Why… why, though?” He murmured, voice small, mouth dry.

   “That’s what I want to find out as well.” Cid brought his laptop closer again, navigating through a few things. “I believe it has something to do with Doctor De Votte, but I’m not sure, it’s hard to talk to her. She didn’t tell me about what the project entailed at first; it was my coworkers who are more involved in it who let me know. And then she asked me to do research for that, as well. I’m no brilliant scientist, so I’m not sure how we’ll do that… all our attempts so far have failed. I don’t know the reason for such a thing as well, personally, I see no good outcome. It just seems like a tool for war. But you… you seem to be acquainted with the subject, judging by your face.” He raised an eyebrow. “A group who is known for infiltrating locales unnoticed… A secret weapon… could this be…?”

   “Sh-shshush.” The auburn-haired male stammered, a mild glare in his eyes. “I’m me, nothing more, nothing less. The others in Red Alert might have seen me as nothing but a “secret weapon”, but I’m much more than that.” He felt a little heated, so he tried to take in breath to calm down. “Yes, I am a prototype for the Reploids Heidi strives to make, with DNA-copying abilities that work, to an extent. But, I don’t know if they still work after I turned into an almost complete human, since I’ve been stuck in here since. That’s how I managed to get in. That’s how I’m supposed to get by. I’m doing this because I know I can do this, and my friends need me. That’s what these powers are used for. Not for war, I would hope, but striving to settle peace in the world.” To a certain degree, yes, his powers could become a sensitive topic to him. They used to make him feel proud, since he was the only one who had them, and they were pretty powerful. Not that he didn’t feel a little proud now, but the feeling had diminished considerably with time. Back then, it was all the worth some of Red Alert’s members saw in him; “the gifted boy”, they would snarl. So it was something he had held on to, because what use would they have for him if he didn’t have these powers? Red had raised him with care, but it would be a lie to say he hadn’t had an interest in his abilities as soon as he discovered them. It had all come down to utilizing them for the group’s missions, and it was hard to become detached to the haunting, ghostly pressure behind his back. Even in Maverick Hunters his mind would still be unaccustomed, and he unconsciously placed his worth in missions on his Copy Shot. But that wasn’t how it worked with them; Maverick Hunters was about the willingness to work for the peace and well-being of all. Whether they fought or had combat skills or not or just wanted to give a helping hand, they were welcome. His worth wasn’t measured by his special powers at all, and X and Zero made sure to keep reminding him of that. Yet he was still working on it, on prying himself from the pressure of the past. So he still placed a lot of his own worth and self-esteem on his abilities. It brought him insecurity.

   It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the scientist that he had hit a nerve. Of course, he hadn’t meant to, but maybe his words had been a little harsher than he realized. It was probably remnants of his past self, cold to Reploids and his subjects. He should treat this young man humanly, he reminded himself, because as fascinating as he and his stories and powers were, he was not a guinea pig. He was a real person, just like him. “Apologies, I did not mean to offend. It’s just my dusty old self speaking. You are more than a weapon, yes, and your worth should not be measured by these interesting powers—I’m sorry you were so wrongly treated in your old home. If you’d like, we could test if they still work now?” He offered, partly because he wanted to see this ability with his own eyes, partly because it seemed like the other was nervous about the fact he wasn’t sure if they still worked or not. It might put his mind more at ease.

   “I’m sorry, it’s just…” Axl slumped on the chair again. “Yeah, I do not have fond memories of my coworkers at Red Alert, so I don’t have enough confidence in my powers anymore. I still feel like people would use me for it, and I wonder if they’re enough, since I’m just a prototype. Well, I was, at least. But—this mission, it was entirely my idea, I offered it to Maverick Hunters. They didn’t think of using me to send me here. It was just me, because I knew my abilities could help in this situation, moreso than anyone else doing a complicated process to infiltrate Heidi. They’re not using me, no, they never did. I have freedom to choose my own missions now.” He moved his hands away from the chair, hugging himself. “I can try shifting shape now if you want to, yeah, I’m anxious to see if it still works, because that’s how I’ll do this mission.”

   “I know it is my turn to give information, but can I make a request?” Cid asked, readying something in his laptop but not quite lifting his gaze from the younger.

   The latter, meanwhile, felt uneasy, but if this was what he’d have to do to keep salvaging precious data from the man, then he’d do it. Hesitantly, he gave a single nod.

   “Please remove your helmet.”

   The request was unexpected enough that the black Hunter raised his head a little, mild surprise and question in his eyes. His form relaxed a little, but still he had no idea what would happen next. “Why?” He couldn’t help the inquiry that left him.

   “I just want to see you, that’s all.” The researcher answered simply, because it was the truth; there were no outward intentions in that request.

   Honestly, there was no reason for Axl to refuse such a thing. He seldom removed his helmet, sincerely, especially during missions or when X and Zero were not nearby, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t. It was just… it made him feel a little more exposed, was all. The image of him helmetless should be only for those closest to him. But if that would get more information out of Cid, turning down the favour would just be selfish. So he sighed through his nose, hesitantly reaching up to hold his helmet, and then slowly removed it, auburn locks freely falling down on his face and half obscuring his vision. He had longish fringe strands, yes, there was no denying it, and though they would often get in front of his eyes, they didn’t bother him at all. Yet he was so used to wearing his helmet, he almost never had the chance to even feel the hair on his front and head. It felt a little weird. He sat there awkwardly, holding the piece of head gear while waiting for a reaction from the older man.

   There was moderate awe inscribed in Cid’s expression, and he readjusted his glasses. “So this is the true Axl of Maverick Hunters…” Such a young face, he wanted to say. Young, but already scarred.

   “With or without the helmet, I’m still me.” The smaller male pointed out, a little nervous. “Only X and Zero have seen me like this before, though… Proof enough that I’m doing my best to succeed in this mission.”

   Even though they were close even before forging their relationship, he had never had his hair marveled (while conscious or for too long, that was). He’d removed his helmet in their presence less than ten times before, approximately, and though the other two clearly had taken interest on it, they never had the courage to approach him in that way, or him them. Touching Zero’s hair had already been a great gift, and it had been so hard to even get to that point. X was kind of like him, rarely helmetless, so at first he hadn’t even known his hair colour and length. But now, although he’d seen his hair already, he had never touched it. And he really wanted to, desired playing with both their hairs, and perhaps having his own stroked would feel nice, too. So many new experiences awaited him at home, it was hard to not want to go back immediately.

   A pause with the scientist simply looking him over, and then suddenly, “Heidi is planning an attack on Argonian Labs tomorrow.”

   So abrupt had been the statement, that it took the black Hunter a few seconds to register that the other had really mentioned that. “What?” He requested, slightly alarmed.

   “The third and fourth Squadrons were assigned a mission to destroy Argonian Labs tomorrow, and possibly take the resident scientists hostage. I don’t know the details, but word of it reached me through the maid. With the deactivation spell, they might make quick work of the security installed there.” The Doctor applied, nodding at his protected. “You know what to do. Communicate with your friends while staying here though, because I’ll get you to be recognized by the door mechanism.”

   This was indeed alarming, emergency news, so Axl would have to report to headquarters right away. He would prefer to talk to them in private, but… at last, he relented, determination etched in his features as he nodded and put his helmet back on, reaching towards the ear of it to start calling the others.

 

   Tranquil ocean eyes watched the display with certain pride. Minwu’s new pupils were becoming stronger fairly quickly, and the hold they already had over Mist in such short amount of time was pleasantly surprising. If they kept up this pace, they’d be able to use magic without any problem in the field pretty soon. X started a day after Zero, but their skills and determination showed. They really wanted to get better at it, develop their magic, and use it for good. It was always so heartening whenever students showed real interest—he’d come across a few who did not, and it was far harder to teach the latter kind of people. Wizardry was an art that required willingness and passion, so it did not work well with greedy, lazy hearts. It involved one’s very soul and Mist within, which made it that people who were not connected with their inner being unable to cast spells. It technically wasn’t something for everyone, but he’d held hope that the two remarkable warriors would have what it took to be magic users. And he was right.

   What they were doing now was a practice game; each of the transformed humans had a flame at their feet, and they were placed a reasonable distance from each other, and the objective was to douse the other’s flame with water while protecting their own, by rekindling or creating another fire. It was just a more fun way to train water and fire spells, giving the learners an objective to look forward to. They were very focused on the task, and the White Mage simply had to feel proud of how far they’ve come, relatively. Glimmering water squirted and splashed from one side to the other, and they hadn’t survived the onslaught meant for the flames, clothes on their lower halves wet and dripping. The dancing fire would wobble, nearly die, go out, but soon it’d be back on its feet. Minwu wasn’t keeping a score, and he wasn’t sure if the others were, either, but he could see the set determination in their faces. Quite curious how this could even feel like the battlefield to them.

   Some time went on, but soon X’s Mist was exhausted, and it showed by how he tried to summon a splash of water but only managed to create slivers that ran down his palms and dribbled to the floor. “Wait—wait—hah…” He panted out, watching as a half-bucket’s worth of the clear liquid was thrown at his feet and it left nothing but a spark remaining of his flame. “I’m exhausted, I can’t… I can’t do this anymore.” He bent down to place his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, but it was hard when he felt so drained.

   Zero was breathing heavily himself, but he still had more Mist to work with. Regardless, he willed his own flame away, understanding that his lover had a day’s worth of catching up to him to do. As he walked to the other’s side, he made sure to step on the spark that remained of the fire that was doused earlier, and sat down on the wet grass to pull the blue Hunter into his lap. “Are you okay?”

   A thick swallow, and the brunet nodded as he nuzzled up to him, still panting. “I might pass out… but I won’t die, I just went too far with… Mist usage…”

   “Please rest for now; don’t try to use magic for a few more hours at least.” Minwu advised, taking slightly hurried steps to their side and feeling for X’s inner Mist. “If possible, always stop casting spells before you reach your limit. It’s dangerous to not do so in the battlefield, because Mist exhaustion will make you really tired and unable to run or fight properly. Not to remind you that you will perish if you use up all of the Mist within you…” They had already gone over this important note in class; to exhaust one’s Mist until the very brink meant death. Often the user passed out after a certain amount of Mist usage past the recommended, a way the body found to preserve one’s life, but it was still possible to get past that point all at once and succumb to the afterlife, with amazingly powerful spells like life-giving spells. With weaker magic like the fire and water incantations the two had been using right now, it was almost certain that all that would happen to them after reaching the limit would be fainting, but still it wasn’t too good to reach that maximum at all. It was only natural for a teacher to worry. “I don’t want to admonish you though, you were great. Just be a little more careful next time.” As a precaution in case the other still needed to be awake, he channeled some of his own Mist into him, meant to give him a little more strength and breathing space.

   “You didn’t need to… I’m sorry…” The blue Hunter raised his hand, and Zero moved to take it, giving it a little squeeze.

   “Don’t worry about it.” The latter spoke softly, “I’d send you over some of my Mist too, if only I knew how. Actually, let me try it…” With a hum, he didn’t even unlace his fingers from his companion’s; he channeled his own Mist through his arm and into their held hands, and the mildly cold breeze was flowing into the other.

   “You guys…” A little smile dotted X’s lips; now he perhaps could go on a little longer, or the rest of the day, without passing out. Which was important, since people interested in their army would visit today. He was excited to meet them and talk to them, even if he wasn’t quite the commander of Maverick Hunters. Just knowing that they were willing to fight for a better future like them was good enough, and that they would even come here and learn magic and generally risk their lives for this cause. These were the kind of people he admired.

   “Congratulations, Zero.” The wizard looked at the man in question, and though it was not directly visible due to his mouthpiece, there was a small smile under it. “You gathered how to channel Mist into others by yourself, without me needing to teach you how it’s done. That means you’re learning quite quickly, and understands enough about how magic works to even learn some things by yourself. I’m proud of you. And you too, X. You two are doing great.”

   The couple shared looks, and there was a little glimmer of pride in emerald and aquamarine depths. They then turned to the White Mage and nodded, and could even have bowed if not for their huddled up position. “It is thanks to you for teaching us so well and patiently. Thank you for coming to our aid, Minwu.” The red Hunter declared, as his lover propped himself up more properly on his lap.

   “I’m glad to be of help, and it is always nice to have more benevolent magic users in the world. We seem to be so few nowadays…” The tan male breathed out.

   “X, Zero, Minwu, come see this, I think you guys will be surprised.” Signas’ voice came from afar, and he waved them over as soon as all eyes were on him.

   And it really was something that surprised them, or at least, the two Hunters; their eyes were wide and the blue Hunter’s mouth was open. In the entrance to Maverick Hunters headquarters stood a contingent of people, maybe thirty or so, who looked very much battle-ready, holding out swords, spears, staves, tomes, and equipped with all sorts of things. They were of every body type, hair colour, age, and gender, giving off an image of diversity they’d never seen before. Some faces were calm, others determined, others maybe a little uneasy, but in general, they gave off a vibe of preparedness, of willingness. And most importantly, they seemed to be an army— _their_ army—, awaiting orders if anything else. They had not expected this many, no, at least not so early—Signas had told them of various returned e-mails, but nothing—nothing like _this_.

   A young swordsman stepped forward, a mage by his side, and he seemingly was the head of this little army (or at least part of it), an air of experience about him despite his apparent age. His hair was a deep blue, fringe fanning the top of his eyes and some strands caressing the sides of his face, a golden tiara atop his head. He wore a pastel blue tunic with golden rim, a belt on the middle, and a dark blue metal chest plate and shoulder armours, equally with gold rim. An ocean blue cape, crimson on the inside, was draped over his shoulders and collarbone, held together by a red gem in front of his right shoulder, reaching a little above his heels in length. Elbow-long, fingerless deep blue gloves covered his forearms, and his legs had similarly coloured, thigh-high boots and stockings, the latter covering everything visible that the boots didn’t. His eyes, the same shade as his hair, were calmly calculating, dark eyelashes adorning them. He was dashing—beautiful, even, and it was hard to find a man or woman who had it all nowadays. Not even knowing much about him, and they already felt like it was someone they could follow.

   “Is X your leader?” The man’s voice was light, soft, but it had a sprinkle of steel in it as well. Befitting a kindhearted soul, a father to his men, but also ready to command and place orders. His gaze hovered to Signas, then the blue Hunter in question.

   Both Zero and X looked at Signas (after more or less recovering from their astonishment), who was indeed the commander of Maverick Hunters, but there was a little more surprise for the brunet, because the Reploid in question bowed and gestured towards him as he took a step backwards, indicating that he was the one who should be spoken to. Instead of questioning the other and embarrassing himself, the blue Hunter merely hesitantly nodded towards him, then turned to the man who had asked the question. “You can direct your words to me. Is this your army?”

   Of course, the shocks wouldn’t stop there. The blue-haired one proceeded to kneel before him, one leg propped up on the ground, and he bowed in his direction. “I am indebted to you, Sir X. I shall fight for you and your cause; my life is yours to do with as you please. I trust you should guide us rightfully in battle.” He proclaimed, and then stood upright once more, a warm smile adorning his features at the other’s taken aback expression. “Yes, most of these men and women belong to my army. We all share your ideals, so it only took one of us to know of your plan for us all to gather. I assume you were surprised with the number? Some of them are not part of us, though, they came of their own volition separately. Yet, we will all fight together from now on, so I do not see much of a difference. We will be Maverick Hunters’ army now.”

   X felt bashful, not knowing where to look properly until the other had stood up again. “I… see… so you’re all here to help us fight against Heidi. I am very thankful for your presence and willingness to come, I really am.” He gave a single nod, smiling a little. “How many of you are mages? Though, this variety of weapons is really great to have, as well; physical combat should not be ignored, it could be our undoing to do so. We need magic to protect our Reploid force, however.”

   “Allow me.” The blue robed, green-haired male beside the leader stepped up, holding a tome. “I’m Merric, the sage and head mage of Marth’s army. He is Marth.” He sent a glance at the man beside him. “Forgive our prince, I guess it’s easy to not remember introductions when one already knows about the other. But now it’s alright. We have a fair share of wizards, able to cast curative, defensive, offensive and elemental spells. A few of the ones who showed up with us are going to begin their magic training in here, but I’ll have you know that I have studied magic in the wizardry country of Khadein, and Palom and Porom here, as well as Minwu behind you, hail from the magic town of Mysidia. So yes, we have brought experience with us, if not dedication, and I know I still have much to learn, but I’m always willing to absorb more and more knowledge and grow through experience. Being part of my childhood friend’s army is a great way to train and prove myself with my skills. I hope I’ll be of service.” He gave a knowing smile, almost a close-mouthed grin. “How will you need magic to protect your men? Protect and Shell?”

   Minwu stepped forward, resting by Zero’s side. “I can certainly appreciate help from my kinsmen. Khadein is a prestigious nation; it is nice to know we’ll have a student from there among our ranks. Palom, Porom, make the Elder of Mysidia proud.” He told the two young siblings to the side, clearly knowing them, as they’d dwelled in the same town. The twin magicians nodded respectfully his way; a brunet with a long braid, blue coat and streaked green and white pants that stood out, and a brunette with a high ponytail, similar pink coat and streaked orange and white pants. “A few days ago, we discovered that a sturdy Shell is able to block a deactivation spell, not without side-effects, but the Reploid remains conscious and functional. Therefore, our idea is to cast Shell on all Reploids in the army, when the time comes to raid Heidi headquarters. This would minimize casualties and make us able to retain our entire fighting force, as opposed to lose half of it quickly. Heidi probably will not expect it, since they’re used to deactivating a group of Reploids as the first step in battle, and might not know how to engage us otherwise. We’ll have the upper hand likely, even without a huge army.”

   “This number is already enough for me, but of course more are welcome.” The blue Hunter externalized, even more optimistic about their eventual victory now. “The way things are going, Heidi won’t even see what’s coming to them, and perhaps nobody else will have the courage to take up its dying vestiges and rekindle such an organization. At least I hope so.” I hope we won’t have to fight anymore, at least not so much, not anything huge that will decide the fate of the world. Nothing like Sigma or Heidi. Most problems should be solved by peaceful truces, not war. The current world is not a world he’d like his children to live in, but perhaps after all of this was over…

   A short warning beep in his, Zero’s and Signas’ helmets, and soon a familiar voice, with a serious tone; “Maverick Hunters headquarters, this is Axl, with an emergency transmission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, but between being lazy and suicidal lows, I'm being really slow in general. This is starting to look a lot like a crossover. Also, really wanting to write something with Marth but nothing seems to be as natural to write as this fic, rip.


	13. The Prince and the Red Hunter - Misty Shackles of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night falls, and there is an aura of camaraderie in the courtyard of Maverick Hunters headquarters. There was enough time for Axl to explore, but his and Cid's bargain once again leads to him feeling the pull of misty shackles of the past.

   Maverick Hunters was a non-profit organization. It survived through the funds of the deceased Doctor Cain, founder of the group, and the donations of many across the globe. The people were afraid of Mavericks and depended on the Hunters for many things, so they appreciated their efforts against evildoers and rebuilding cities, towns and facilities. They worked not only in the main hubs of the world, but around the entire planet, something acclaimed by the many populations, who were sometimes forgotten due to the attention the media paid to the great centres. Regardless, the world was global now, and much more accepting than in the previous centuries. Countries were not much of a thing anymore, since everything was equally shared by all. However, other nations had risen of their own volition, and were not stopped by the main hubs. Cities had become more independent, and were now centres instead of the countries. Maverick Hunters was currently allowed passage in all locations, which was a great achievement for an organization that had started so small. Now, it held a good position in the world’s eyes, though some still scrutinizing, as always.

   The funds they had were very important for equipment management. There were no salaries, and Reploids were low-cost if compared to humans, but still they needed coin for so many other things, both foreseen and unexpected. Right now, they had a small army of humans, all who needed to eat and sleep in at least moderately comfortable installations. They hadn’t expected that many yet, but it was easy to acquire more chemical toilets, food, tents and sleeping bags before nightfall. These headquarters didn’t have any permanent installations for humans (ironically, since the founder was human), so they had to make do. With the little experience they’d gained from taking care of Zero and X as humans for a few days, they learned from it and were only improving, especially about the chemical toilet part that they hadn’t thought about before for their two Hunters for some reason. (It must have been because one likened these facilities to large events and a contingent of people, and not only two, but now they had learned).

   The tents were pitched in the domed courtyard area, together with Minwu’s tent. After everything was settled, and all of them had chosen who they would sleep beside and in which tent, they had an amicable dinner in the early evening, talking about strategies, magic, and how the next day would be.

   Yes, the next day. Axl’s warning had been sure and in time; Heidi would attack Argonian Labs Thursday, in broad daylight. Their mission had been planned out already, the Labs contacted, and it would involve them arriving inside a disguised truck, to not arise suspicions for the enemies’ sentinels in the area. They would then install themselves at vantage points, waiting for Heidi’s forces to arrive but at the same time making sure local staff would not be harmed; Shell would be cast upon the Reploids, and there would be a Hunter agent settled before each locale with personnel. At least a third of the normal work force was not going to show up in the Labs, looking towards their own safety, but the rest was determined in keeping working and helping Maverick Hunters, because they believed they would be safe with them. Besides, it’d create suspicions if none of the staff showed up at all in that day.

   It should be remained in sigil that they were gathering a human army, but if a Heidi agent spotted these new additions to their force and escaped with their lives, their element of surprise would be down the drain. There was nothing that they could do about it, though, besides make sure they took all enemies hostage. They couldn’t only use their Reploid forces, because of the deactivation spell, and only X and Zero would not have enough magic to protect all Lab personnel. They needed enough mages to Shell all Reploids, or at least most of them, so this new army’s part in the play would be crucial in minimizing casualties. It was indispensable that they utilized their skills. It would be a test of their effectiveness. If this mission was successful, then it meant that they would have a good chance against Heidi, even if their plan was found out. They had more surprises for the evil organization up their sleeves.

   Nighttime was welcomed in mild frivolity, for most of them felt optimistic about how things would work from now on. They had enough info on Heidi battalions to not worry too much, though the enemy could also have surprises of their own, but their joined forces were likely able to handle it. Fretting over possible details wouldn’t help them much. Glimmering points dotted the entirety of the darkened skies, visible through the domed ceiling, and it didn’t feel much different from camping outside. They weren’t far away enough from the city lights to be able to clearly see misty galaxies, but still innumerous stars caught their attention. Bioluminescent lamps were lit across the yard, offering visibility for this humble encampment. Some were already inside the tents; others were talking at their entrances.

   Marth was a little ways off, sitting on the grass in front of a tree as he polished his blade, Falchion, with a clean handkerchief. It was a sword of delicate beauty, with a red gem on the hilt and a green gem on the pommel, the guard seemingly made from gold. A weapon of legend, it held supernatural powers and was an effective dragonslayer. It had never even touched a Reploid before, but who knows, maybe its underlying magic effect could cut through metal just fine. And they were dealing with humans in Heidi, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Falchion had drunk the blood of many already. For some curious reason, it heeded only the blue-haired male, feeling heavy and much blunter to anyone else who took its grip. Maybe it was his royal blood, descendant of its original wielder. Prince of Altea, lord to all the army who followed him.

   It was him who Zero approached calmly, a communicator in hands, soft grass underneath his boots. Marth looked up at him as he neared, halting his ministrations, and gave him a welcoming smile. “Zero, what brings you here? You were so quiet during dinner.”

   “I don’t talk much. I’m not… used to casual banter. At least, everyone seems more accustomed to it than I.” The red Hunter murmured, offering the device he had in hands for the other to take. “You’re the leader of the army, correct? So you will need this communicator to speak with us during missions. We receive information about our surroundings from our navigators, and it’s important that me and X have an effective and quick way of talking to you. We will give transmitters to the other members as well, but we prioritize you, since they will all heed your command for sure.”

   Curiously, the newly-recruited man received the apparel, and then placed it on his right ear as he supposed was how it was done. “Is this alright?”

   “Yes.” Zero knelt to turn it on and instruct him, “If you do this, you can choose who you want to address through the communicator. It can be everyone, or only one person. It’s on standby right now, meaning your messages won’t go through, but you can receive any incoming messages. You can turn it off, or click here to make your voice be heard and sent over to the addressed. Let’s try this now…” He raised his hand to the ear of his helmet, “Can you hear me through it?”

   “Perfectly clearly, sir.” The prince hummed, and then did as told to make his own voice available, and only to the other. “My turn; can you hear me?”

   “Positive. I think you’re ready to utilize it in missions.” The blond almost raised an eyebrow, because it was certainly interesting. “So this is your first time with a transmitter. You learned quickly.”

   “Stop kneeling on the ground and sit properly by my side.” Marth invited, and though his partner hesitated, he didn’t speak another word until the Hunter had settled comfortably beside him. “I might not be well-versed in technology, but this works similarly to a Whisperweed. It’s much more advanced, of course, but Whisperweeds allow you to communicate in a long-distance manner between leaves of the same plant. Speaking into a leaf, the person who holds another leaf of the same origin will be able to hear you through it. I was kind of hoping for something that would allow me to talk to more than one person at the same time, without holding several Whisperweeds with me… it seems like technology found its own ways to make life comfortable. But, it can’t really do what magic can, can it? I don’t think so. Not everything.” It was a thought, even though he knew little about the empire of technology that made up most of the modern world. If the discovery of magic by the general populace had been such a sensation and mark of an age, it meant that human hands still hadn’t been able to make what sorcery could. That’s how it seemed to be like.

   In turn, Zero was just now learning about magic firsthand, when it seemed like all of these new people that joined them were well-versed in it. Technology was his forte technically, perhaps not to a deep degree, but that was what he grew up around. It was fascinating, how two people could live in the same world and have completely different backgrounds. But they shared the same ideals, the same goal, and both were swordsmen to top it off, and that was what drew them together. He was just as oblivious about human ways, when most other Reploids had taken human biology classes in learning centres, so there was no point in being condescending about it, not to mention it would be hypocritical. And he wasn’t a condescending person.

   He was fidgeting with a few blades of grass, looking at the ground, so the blue-haired male decided to get his attention. “I saw you eating with us, though. So does that mean you and X are human now? How does it feel?”

   How did it feel? Maybe it was too soon to answer that. “We are human now, we were consensually transformed. It feels… strange. A bit annoying. There are so many bothersome things to worry about daily now like eating and getting clean. But now I can use magic. I can’t be deactivated. And… hopefully I won’t be able to be turned into a Maverick…” That was the single best reward he could have gotten from this transformation, and if Sigma were still around somewhere, he would gladly let him know that he was no longer able to be molded into a Maverick. The only thing that could be done was him getting killed, which had in fact happened before. But as a human, he would not have second chances at life. If he died, he would stay dead. There might be a life-giving spell for near-death occasions, but the thought of someone dying to keep him alive didn’t sit well with him. Especially if that person was X. X shouldn’t die for him, for stars’ sake. He should live, live on and rebuild this broken world, teach old and young people alike about how beautiful it was to live and how one should always strive for peace and equality. If Axl also survived, they should then have children together. As painful as it sounded that they’d speak of a third parent who had never been there at all. But dying in the end was far, far better than becoming Maverick—he’d had livid nightmares where he lost control and slashed X apart, through his supposed heart, tearing limbs, breaking him, cutting off his breath, all to the confused exclamations of his love, who gasped out, “Zero, what’s wrong? Why are you doing this?”, and it made his heart sink all the more because the blue Hunter never tried to defend himself in these nightmares, not at all. Did nothing to stop him, nothing to fight back. That was probably what would happen in reality as well, and it was terrifying, yet sweet in a way (he simply refused to hurt him in any way…), to think of.

   Aquamarine eyes had submerged in light terror as the memories came to him, becoming more rigid in appearance. His body had become nearly still, only light breaths almost unnoticeably moving his form. And the prince wasn’t unaware to the heavy aura that had descended over the other male, thus he attempted to sway his thoughts to another light with a breath of a chuckle, “You think you can still become a Maverick while human? It’s silly to worry about it; as far as I know, we cannot be changed like that. It might be a vantage of not being a Reploid, you’ll always be yourself. Although, curses can be cast on people, making them be controlled by something else, but that’s another story. You shouldn’t fret over it, Zero. You’re safe with us.” And to emphasize his words, he reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

   Still a bit shaken, the blond’s eyes darted to the hand, then to the other. The words were reassuring, as was the gesture, but it was hard to break free from how vivid the night horrors were, and the fresh images in his mind. His mouth felt dry, but still he attempted to speak, “I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m terrified, of becoming a Maverick. I worry about what would happen to everyone if I did. I have memories of… terrible things… piles of Reploid bodies strewn across the ground, sadistic fights, livid nightmares… I had lived up until now afraid of it all, and I don’t understand how humans work, so I’m still scared. I can only take your word for granted, and the fact nobody has called a human a Maverick yet… but what leads humans to fight against each other? Create wars? Lead an organization like Heidi? If that’s not being a Maverick, I don’t understand. I don’t want to become like these people. Am I free, now that I’ve become human? Or can I end up like them?” He looked down once more, swallowing thickly. The emotions seemed to be swirling freely within him now, but he held himself back from spilling out words that could expose him. ‘I don’t want to lose X. I don’t want to lose Axl. I don’t want to be… the one that kills them…’

   The embrace surprised him, aquamarine eyes widening, his heart beating in an uneven, fast pace. His hand quivered for a little, before it clung to the deep blue cape for leverage, until Marth backed away just enough to lock their gazes. “Zero, listen to me. You are a selfless, kind-hearted man, and no one can take that away from you. As a Reploid, even if you became a Maverick, we’d know that that wouldn’t be who you really are. And now, as a human, nobody can corrupt your generous soul. Because that’s how humans end up evil; they are either inherently bad, or are corrupted by their own selfishness and greed. That’s part of their personality, though. You, you can’t become like them, you’ll never be like them, because you are inherently good. You do not have any malicious traits, much less destructive ones. Villains can speak their mind however they want, but you would never join them or be swayed by their goals. I heard of Sigma, and I bet that he would talk your ears out about his plans, but you never paid any heed to them, did you? That’s because of how benevolent you are, and that isn’t something that can be stolen. Your loyalty to yourself and your friends are unswerving. And that’s the kind of person the world needs. That’s the man who I would lay down my life for, and crown king. That is you, Zero, and you are you.”

   For quiet, lingering moments, the Hunter was frozen. It must have been an almost stupid sight, with clear eyes slightly widened like that, but he was simply speechless at first. His fears had been regarded and answered, and not only that, but he was reassured that he was good. Someone benevolent, a fighter for peace, not a Maverick. Not Sigma’s puppet. Not a destroyer of Reploids, like he had been created to be. His efforts to be kind, despite being quiet, to look after everyone’s safety, to do his best in missions and even then only do as much damage as necessary, were not in vain, were not unnoticed. And even though the other was still mostly a stranger to him, he had still been able to analyze the actions he was known for deeply enough to understand. He could see it in his eyes, his fear to become something evil. He appreciated him and cared for him, even though they hadn’t done anything together yet.

   It was some time before Zero’s expression returned to normal, more or less, but there were still faint traces of shock in his features. He didn’t look quite as stoic as before. The prince patiently waited for him to regain his bearings, and when he did so more properly, he avoided the pool-like orbs that had been looking at him until now. “I guess…” He began, “I guess that’s why you’re the leader of the army.”

   Slowly, the blue-haired male couldn’t help the smile that painted his soft lips. “I seek my men to believe in themselves and do their best, is all.”

 

   The door mechanism clinked, signalizing that whoever was behind the wooden frame had been granted access to enter, so Doctor Cid stopped his activities in his laptop to turn his chair over to the entrance, expecting the guest. A medium-height Reploid with dark blue armour came in, face blank, and closed the door behind himself, and the scientist felt a bit thrown off and puzzled by that presence, because no Reploids had access to his room in the first place. So why would—

   Bright, soft light enveloped the other’s form, and soon it was no longer that Reploid he had seen before, but Axl, who appeared in his stead as the luminosity wore off. His young features were tired, form mildly slouched, and he leaned against the doorway, shaking his head. “I’m exhausted.”

   “Welcome back.” The researcher mentioned nonchalantly, even though he had been previously fooled for a few moments. Of course, he’d only just today discovered about his protected’s power, and although he’d seen him transform in front of his very eyes, it was easy to just forget when he was by himself in his office, and appearances were all his instincts were accustomed with. It just didn’t quite get through his head that the other was able to transform into someone completely different, physically and voice-wise, and even more as a human. How was that even possible to do with science? “What did you find out?”

   The auburn-haired male took in a deep breath, walking to the bed and removing his gloves and boots. “Well, almost everything in this floor is just human staff quarters, as you’ve said. And the reserve card we need to access the elevator on the ninth floor to go to the tenth floor, the Reploid-Maverick servants said only a single person had it, Head Maid Denise. I tried looking for her, but wasn’t successful. I did get some new DNA core samples with my Copy Shot, though, so now my disguises are more varied. According to the GPS device you gave me, the meeting room is in the third floor. It was locked, so no exploring there. The Reploid resting rooms are in the second floor, but I don’t need those anymore, which feels kind of weird, but relieving in a way, because there is no way I’d be able to sneak resting in there. Overall, if I didn’t have your room, I’d be nearly done for. Yet, I think there was an empty room among the quarters in here. It’d be hard to find in the beginning, but I can’t complain about how things turned out. I’m not dead yet, so…” He grunted, bending to fist the sheets for a brief moment. “Sorry, I need to pee.” He breathed out.

   “You drink too much water.” Cid pointed out with a vague gesture, turning his back on the other to keep working on his laptop. None of what the younger male had said was news to him, except the part about Head Maid Denise being the one who held the reserve access card to the tenth floor, where Hilda’s room and lab were. It was not too surprising, though, considering the maid was the only one besides the head of Heidi to have access to that floor. Curious, that the one person the “Heidress” would trust the most in there was a Reploid.

   “I don’t know, I’ve always had to drink water regularly as a Reploid… might be just habit. My internal water systems would dysregulate much more often than anyone else’s, it was so embarrassing…” The black Hunter muttered, and then went to lock himself in the bathroom. Was it because he was a prototype? But didn’t that only mean that his DNA-copying abilities were not developed to their full potential? Otherwise, he seemed fine, honestly. Just his water systems were annoying—or had been, because he didn’t have them anymore, unless humans had something akin to that. Besides urine.

   The scientist was about done with the resume for his protected, and he retrieved the GPS device that had been left on the bed to upload the resume file to it; better than leaving the laptop unwatched in the other’s hands. Though the portable computer did not have as many things pertaining to Heidi in it as the PC connected to the building, he still didn’t want him to be privy to everything that was in it. It was personal. The GPS, however, didn’t have anything in it but an interactive 3D map of Heidi headquarters. And now, the resume about humans. There were other things both of them would like to know, yes, but the Doctor still had his “job” to worry about, and he could answer Axl’s questions and showcase them as they were being asked. While the other was out, he’d had enough time to write out usual reports, so maybe the staff would leave him alone for tonight. So indeed, as much as he could write a resume about Heidi, too, he didn’t quite have the time, and he had to keep the bargain going. It was as if the ex-Reploid managed to grow more and more interesting to him by each passing moment.

   As soon as he heard the bathroom door unlock, Cid informed, “The resume for you is ready. Though I don’t want you to read it right now; sit down on the bed.”

   With a blank face, the younger male did as told, kneeling on the sheets and then spreading his knees apart, then his lower legs to the sides of his thighs. A tiny grimace of discomfort, and he decided to speak up of the reason. “My crotch armour feels too tight.”

   “…?” The researcher lowered his glasses as he sent him an analyzing look, then just cleared his throat. “If it’s bothering you, I can buy you some shorts and boxers tomorrow, while we can’t make you another armour piece. I can’t do it today, though, and I have nothing your size with me. Will you survive?”

   “I guess so, I’m still whole.” The auburn-haired one mumbled, and his genitals did feel a little sore, but he could live for one more day. It was still better than wearing nothing at all. As much as he’d been confused by genitalia at first, and he still was, to some extent, by now it had grown into something… intimate. Close to himself. Something that was not for everyone’s eyes, and that would make him feel exposed. Alia’s words the day Zero turned into a human felt so much clearer now; about how humans were so shy and self-aware about it. Well, now he was no different from them. So he’d much rather withstand this pain than allow the scientist to see him nude.

   “Very well. I would like to continue our agreement.” The older man clasped his hands together, turning his way. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

   “Go ahead, I still have a few questions to ask. And I want you to teach me magic.” Perhaps it was something a little off from their deal of only sharing information, but magic could prove to be crucial to him. The black Hunter couldn’t syphon his own Reploid energy to Axl Bullets to make each shot more powerful anymore, but maybe if he learned of Mist and how to control it, then he would be able to enhance the potency of his weapons just like before. Besides, spells possessed potentials all their own. He’d learned about the existence of them to some extent, as Maverick Hunters did get data on them, and to be able to attack with fire, lightning, water, ice, earth, create barriers, deactivate Mavericks, make people feel drowsy—all of these were great assets. He didn’t know if Cid was capable of all of that, but considering he’d told him about his research on human magic, he probably knew something useful, and could teach him the basics, if nothing else. Verdant eyes were even, gauging the other’s reaction.

   “If you give me more information in return and don’t set my quarters on fire, sure, I can do that.” The scientist accepted, because he saw no harm in teaching the younger male how to wield Mist. It was better (read: less dangerous) than letting him discover it by himself, and the knowledge could probably save his life. It would be a shame if such an interesting person ended up perishing so young, and furthermore, he could research his Mist and magic skills closely.

   “You’ll probably suck the information dry out of me before too long, but okay, why not.” After all, Axl really didn’t have an expansive, glorious history. Missions for Red Alert, missions for Maverick Hunters, that was all his life had been, though he would not trade his current life for anything in the world. Getting close to X and Zero and having true friends who did not judge him by his powers was all he could ask for.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll have just enough stuff for me. And anything you find out in this place will be data I want, too, so you will technically never run out as long as you keep exploring. But anyway, I’ve been wanting to ask this since I found you…” A pause, the researcher’s mildly stony expression belying his curiosity. “Where did you get your scar? It was by no means created with you, I can tell.”

_“…who do you think you… disgrace the city… sorry presence…?”_

   The images were blurry, unrecognizable.

_“You… don’t touch me.”_

_“… show you… how it’s done.”_

   Pain, it was pain he felt, for sure, but he couldn’t recall, as hard as he tried.

   “I don’t remember.” He muttered simply, his eyes having minimally widened with the foggy images and sounds, but were now half-lidded, as if he had resigned to his fate of never recollecting such an event. He’d had this scar with him for as far as he could remember, but he’d never paid too much heed to it in general. It wasn’t important for his missions, right? But sometimes, he’d wanted to know. He’d want to know how someone had injured his surface permanently like that, without him having any memories of it. Red had been the one to find him, and would at times comment how he had acted like a zombie in the beginning, so he thought if there was anyone who would know it, it would be him. So he’d asked Red, many times, even, but his mentor would just avoid the subject. He rarely ever avoided answering him anything, so that had surprised him quite a bit. If the other didn’t remember, why didn’t he just say so? Unless, he _did_ remember it. Unless he knew exactly what had happened to him. But why not tell? Had it been something so horrible, that he thought it better not to disclose? Had he nearly died? What could have happened that fateful day? Had he been someone, before becoming “a zombie”?

   And now, his mentor, a father figure to him, was dead, and the possibility of him ever knowing what happened was gone with him. _When time comes, I’ll teach you all that you should know_ , he’d said, but the time never did come. With the man himself having set their base to self-destruct, there was now nothing that remained of it, no clues or devices that held data of Red Alert’s past. Seeing it explode, crumble and be engulfed in flames before his own eyes, and then revisiting the area not much later to find everything in shambles, the realization that there was nothing left of his past had hit him hard. Nothing but the crimson rose pendant, Axl Bullets, his own memories, and his scar. Maybe it was at that moment, where he lost it all, that he’d grown up inside the most. How visible had it been? And the fact that X and Zero were there for him, the entirety of Maverick Hunters was, probably explained how fond he’d grown of them with time. The comfort the former two gave him eventually was reciprocated with affection. Seeing him at such a low, they had become beacons of light to him. But that wasn’t the only reason he fell in love with them, no. It was because they were them. Not only their willingness to be there for him in his moment of weakness, but their willingness to be there for him at all times, and the fact that they were themselves. Zero was more reserved and contemplative, and X was determined and a big heart to all, and they both were kind and strong and beautiful. Fate somehow had brought them together, but of course, he wasn’t complaining. He only… he only still felt some curiosity about how he had come to be.

   Cid observed him intently, the naked truth of his words. There was no reason for him to be lied to now, and it seemed like the other was replying to himself more than to him. It was as if the older man was even forgotten for that answer, so ingrained the younger was inside himself. Should he be worried about his protected? Whatever had caused this to him could still be out there. Even if scars were just things warriors were expected to have, that wasn’t really the same for Reploids. Reploids were not biological; they could be almost irrevocably broken, and still be fixed to near physical perfection. A scar like that could have been treated by a capable Reploid skin surgeon, but the fact remained that it wasn’t. Whatever had happened, the ones who witnessed it did not want it to be forgotten, even if Axl didn’t recall it himself. “And your creator? Do you remember who created you?” He pressed, because maybe that way they would be able to know.

   A figure of a man sitting beside him in darkness, then bright light obscuring his eyes.

_“I’m sorry…”_

_“I’m so sorry… this had to happen to you…”_

_“You must live, Axl.”_

_“Farewell, my—”_

   “I don’t. I don’t…” The auburn-haired male breathed out sharply, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. “I don’t remember who it was, when it was, where it was… I just… I heard “Axl”, in my dreams I’ve heard them call my name.” He opened his tired eyes again, rubbing at them. “When I was more comfortable in Maverick Hunters, they allowed me to utilize some of their devices to research a possible scientist who could be researching DNA core copying abilities. I found nothing but the creator of Lumine later on—I don’t think it was them that created me, because they were publishing their research from the start, and I’m… relatively old now, I mean, compared to all these young Reploids who are created every day. I’ve been around for a few years. The times don’t match up. So there were no clues whatsoever on who could have done it, and there still aren’t. By now I have basically given up on it, I don’t pay it too much heed, like, why linger so much in the past when I have the present and future to worry about? But sometimes, I just wonder… and it can engulf me at times. It’s something I’ll always want to know deep down, and will never forget. Which means, this research that Heidi is doing to create Reploids like me, it feels personal now. I want to know why. It probably has nothing to do with me, of course, but even if it’s related to Lumine, that’s still personal business, and something Maverick Hunters should be aware about. It was me, X and Zero who were up there in the moon fighting against Sigma and Lumine. A place like this might be searching for a way to do as Lumine told us. Whatever it is, I’m involved, we are all involved now, and ever since the declaration of wanting to retire all Reploids, it’s been our fight. Our war, of us Reploids, and all humans and beings who wish to aid us.” He shifted on the bed, lying down sideways with his head on the pillow. “That’s much more important than dragging myself behind to find out who created me and how I got this scar. The present is where my concern should lie.”

   “Well-said.” The older man commended, giving him a curt nod, leaning back and crossing his arms. “I understand your plight, it is indeed not common for a Reploid to not know who their creator is. But yes, what matters the most is who you are now, and not what you were created for, or by whom. Your previous status as a Reploid meant that you’ve always had the freedom to make your own choices, and thus why it is possible that you’re here now without even knowing of your origins. Quite intriguing. And now that you’re human, it matters even less how you were created.”

   “It would still be good to know why, though…” The black Hunter mumbled, rubbing his covered neck. “But I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Right now, I’m too tired to even think about it.”

   “Eat before you sleep.” Cid insisted, taking a plate with a meal that was in the corner of the desk, and putting it in the microwave to heat it for thirty seconds, then taking it out and putting it on the edge of the desk in front of a chair. “Meat, French fries and crumbles; left half of my dinner for you, so it shouldn’t make you feel full. I’ll teach you to use the fork and knife.”

   Axl really didn’t want to get up from the bed, but his stomach was hurting from only eating bread and biscuits in the morning, so he had no choice. He sat up slowly and stood up, seeming kind of uninterested, but it was hard not to when he felt so drained. With stocking feet on the ground, he then sat at the chair, eyeing the food presented to him. Human food was strange, he decided, as he noted how the crumbs looked like sand. As long as it tasted good and didn’t make him sick, though, it would be alright.

   At least that’s what he hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crossover elements are official now, but I don't know if this fic is a crossover yet. Feeling pain because my OT3 is separated right now and they can't kiss and cuddle and be lovey-dovey together, haha. Sending Axl to a solo spying mission was a smart idea (probably), but very masochistic. I'll just have to wait now.


End file.
